Changing Fate's Plans
by Golasgil Sindar
Summary: At the end of 4th year Hermione asks the Headmaster to help Harry. He turns to Sirius and things quickly get out of control. How will Harry react to the sudden changes it forces upon him? Slightly altered book 4 events, Harry and Hermione got together while their schoolmates ignored them once his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. H/Hr/DG femslash, Weasley bashing except Ginny.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"What can I do for you, Miss Granger." Professor Dumbledore said and motioned for her to come forward.

"Sir." She said stiffly and sat nervously in the chair before his great desk.

"Miss Granger?" he said mimicking her tone.

"Harry." She started but then clamped her lips closed and looked down.

"Miss Granger, I've sworn to not pry into your mind for information on Mr. Potter, but you asked to speak to me." He said gently.

She sighed and looked up. "Yes, Headmaster, thank you again. I'm rubbish in a fight. Harry needs someone who can help him when spells start flying."

Instead of answering he took a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk, popped it into his mouth and leaned back in thought.

She waited patiently, having presented her predicament. Harry's inclusion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament had highlighted her own deficiencies just as much as Harry's. They needed serious help or one of these years they would be killed.

Several minutes later he cleared his throat. "I believe you spent much of your third year in the company of a certain Slytherin?"

She opened her mouth, but the Headmaster held his hand up and she sat back in her chair.

"I will discuss this with Padfoot and see if an arrangement can be made."

"Yes, Professor, thank you." Hermione said and stood, not quite understanding how Sirius Black could be of assistance in this.

"Miss Granger." He said and waited for her to face him again. "I believe you are selling yourself short, but I do agree that a skilled combatant would be an advantage. I recommend you dedicate some of your attention to Poppy's profession, as well as focusing on defensive spells."

He walked around his desk, clasping his hands behind his back. "What I am about to say, I say with a bit of trepidation, yet I feel it must be said. In all magical couples, if there is a great disparity in magical power, the weaker one becomes subordinate to the stronger. The fact that you are still your own person indicates to me that your magical abilities are well above the average. To add another to this delicate balance you have achieved will be difficult, yet I believe the witch in question is capable of it."

She was only mildly surprised by this revelation. She'd delved deep into magical theory, spending hours with Professors McGonagall and Vector, attempting to understand how magic really worked. "I've never heard it stated that way sir, I suppose it makes a certain sense. We've felt our magic interacting, feeling out the balance you mentioned. I do trust her, Headmaster, thank you again." Hermione said and left. Leaving both of them in deep thought.

}-{

Harry Potter was extremely pissed off as he sat wasting his time on Privet Drive. With Voldemort's resurrection he knew he had to be ready to fight him as an equal. That wasn't going to happen if he spent every summer doing the chores on Privet Drive. He had managed to get into better shape, by running every morning and even visiting the local pool to swim laps. Since Hermione had taught him how to swim for the second task he'd discovered he actually liked it. Even his school books had been re-read and useful spells or strategies noted down in his new spiral notebook.

He picked up Hermione's most recent letter, like everything he'd received all summer it was much of nothing. And that was the reason for his anger. Not even Hermione would tell him anything!

He tossed it on his bed and lay down beside it closing his eyes in thought. Several minutes later, when he had calmed down he looked at the letter again, this time two words jumped out at him: no good.

Perusing the letter a bit more carefully he found up and to in a straight line down the right edge of the page.

"No way." He said in a hushed whisper and snatched his wand from under his pillow.

Pressing the tip of his wand to the letter he said, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." A broad grin finally split his face as the letter reformed to a much longer one in his friends tiny script. She had written him!

 _Harry,_

 _I do hope you figured this out quickly, it was the only way I could get a real message out. Mrs. Weasley is monitoring everything!_

 _Yes, I'm with them, but at Padfoots. Professor Dumbledore promises me you will be picked up on the night of your birthday to come here._

 _Now, as to what has been going on. The Daily Prophet is ridiculing yourself and the Headmaster for your stand on Voldeshorts. Madam Bones and Madam Longbottom seem to be the only prominent politicians in our corner, but the Headmaster says he is calling in favors, some over a hundred years old, to get others to side with us against the Minister._

 _The Weasley's are trying to hide it but none of them are happy that you and I are together. They treated me normally until it came up in conversation, now they all look at me like I've stolen you. In spite of that, things were fairly quiet until a few days ago, then another girl showed up. I'm sorry I can't name her, but even here I don't think it would be a good idea._

 _I did tell the Headmaster at the end of the year that we needed help, this seems to be his way of providing that._

 _Officially Padfoot did something and that triggered something else, and she is here waiting to speak with you._

 _The Weasley's, especially Ron are not getting along with her. You will recognize her immediately, but please give her a chance. I do know her and she has my trust._

 _In fact I've switched from sharing rooms with Ginny to sharing with her to get away from the constant bickering of our red headed friends._

 _Remember what I told you Harry, I'll never leave you._

 _Love Hermione_

 _PS, yes I mean it, of course I love you Harry._

Before he could even touch his wand to the note to give the counter it crumbled into a fine dust. He brushed it off of his bed and onto the floor, thinking about the contents of the letter. What kind of help had she asked for and what had Sirius done to cause a girl to be waiting for him?

And Hermione trusted her. Who precisely were his girlfriend's friends? The only one he knew outside of their house was Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, but she wouldn't cause such a reaction from the Weasleys, unless she tore into Ron about the Yule Ball?

He shook his head, no that couldn't be it. He wished he could re-read the letter, but that wasn't an option so he had to use his memory. Hermione trusted this girl enough to share a room with her, instead of with Ginny. That told him she was a very close friend indeed.

"Guess I'll just have to wait and find out on Tuesday night and I really need to learn who Hermione's friends are." He said to his snowy owl who gave a soft bark.

Harry pulled all of Hermione's letters from the drawer and looked through them for the same telltale words. They were not on the first two, but were included on the next four. Damn, she'd been sending him real messages since the first two!

Sudden tears came to him and he wiped them away furious with himself now. She had been loyal to him. She had not ignored or abandoned him. He had not trusted her enough to believe in her brilliance.

He would try not to make that mistake again. She had handed him some extra books when they were on the Express, he'd flipped through them but not really bothered to try and understand them. With renewed energy he decided to focus the rest of his time on them, she knew what he was up against and likely the books were part of her strategy to assist him.

The first book: Understanding Wandless Magic sounded daunting. Everyone said it was nearly impossible, but he knew Dumbledore could do some, it was likely Voldemort could as well. Even if the book didn't teach him how to do it, if he understood it that could help.

The second book: Occlumency for Self-Awareness did not make much sense. What was Occlumency to begin with? He gave a mental shrug at his own stupidity and opened the book to find out. An hour later he stood and stretched, pondering what he had just learned.

"Boy! Take the garbage out!" Aunt Petunia screamed up the stairs.

"Sure." He replied, just loud enough for her to hear. What was she thinking? All of the windows up and down Privet Drive were open.

He stuffed an old ball cap on his head and began collecting the cans from around the house. So Occlumency was the name for a large branch of self-centered mental magic. Everything from defending your mind from external influence to organizing your thoughts to better retain information or solve mysteries. The book his thoughtful girlfriend had given him focused on the latter part of that, learning to organize your mind, ignore the distractions to see the truth in the clues you do have and understand what they meant.

If she had been using this for years it was no wonder she was a walking encyclopedia. One of the games she'd played back in second year was having all of the first year students ask her questions about any of their classes, trying to stump her, they hadn't been able to. The game had not happened in third, because he and Ron were fighting with her and she'd spent most of her time in the Library. In fourth year she had joined him in being school pariahs.

Once the trash was on the curb, and all of the cans were washed and back in their proper locations, he made a quick sandwich in the empty kitchen and took it, with a glass of water, up to his room to continue the book.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

On his birthday the Dursleys went out to dinner, clearly to spite him, though no one mentioned his special day. Harry didn't care, he was leaving today. He packed quickly after they left and dragged his trunk down to the entry siting on it to wait for someone to pick him up. Then in the middle of waiting he decided he had better not be sitting there like he expected them, that would give away that someone had told him they were coming.

With a sigh he dragged his trunk back upstairs and quickly unpacked some of his things, including spreading books out with the homework list, though he was well done with his summer homework.

To pass the time he went back to the mental exercises in the Occlumency book. Drift, ignore the world around you and see where your mind takes you. So far it had taken him to some very memorable places he and his girlfriend had gone. This time started just like the others, Hermione showing him a new spell for him to learn, and earn a reward. Then it was different, he seemed to feel the presence of someone or something else. He tried to figure out where they might be but the bell rang and he ran downstairs. A quick look through the peephole revealed Mad-Eye, Remus and two women he didn't know.

He quickly opened the door and ushered them in.

Remus came in first, gave him a quick hug and stepped past, heading upstairs. "I'll fetch your things."

"I sent Hedwig to Hermione a few hours ago with a letter." He called up the stairs, Moony waved to show he'd heard him.

A woman with pink hair said, "Wochter!" as she came into the house. Her smile was bright and infectious.

Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but he grinned at the cute woman. Then he saw the other woman clearly. She was strikingly pretty, about thirty with platinum blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. She wore a dark green, full length robe with silver trim. It was far more fashionable than most witches wore and would have drawn appreciative looks at a Muggle mall.

She noticed his stare and held her hand out to him. "Marlene McKinnon, Mr. Potter. I'm a Hit Witch."

She was holding her hand out flat, her long fingers drooped and the red polished tips gleamed in the light. He suddenly realized she was expecting him to kiss her hand. He quickly made an awkward attempt, which caused her to giggle and then smile at him.

"McKinnon!" Moody barked as he entered and closed the door. The woman did not jump as everyone else did, she merely turned her head to the Senior Auror. "The boy's got a girlfriend." He said which only caused Marlene to smile and look back at a furiously blushing Harry.

She brushed her fingers down his cheek and smiled, "But he isn't married yet is he?"

Harry spent the next few minutes trying to remember how to breathe. Then Remus was back, floating Harry's trunk behind him.

"So how are we getting out of here?" Harry managed to ask.

"Apparition." Mad-Eye said.

"You're with me." Marlene said and stepped to his side, her fingers dancing across his strong shoulders, causing him to blush again. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was having trouble breathing.

With sudden clarity he realized he was acting like she was a celebrity or famous actress. Which was precisely how he hated people treating him. That thought made him ill and he forced his heart to slow, doing the first breathing exercise from the Occlumency book to help.

"Merlin Marlene, you've got the poor boy all flustered. Let me have a shot." The pink-haired woman said and turned to Harry. "I'm Tonks. Well actually that's my last name but I hate my first name. Most people just call me Tonks anyway, but since we're distant cousin's you can call me Nym."

"What?" Harry said in obvious confusion.

"This is Nymphadora Tonks," Marlene said. "Her mother is Sirius' cousin Andromeda Tonks, her sisters are Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy."

"oh."

"So, this is how we're going to do it." Moody said while Remus shrunk Harry's trunk and handed it to him. "McKinnon is going to apparate you, but we're not going straight to our destination in case someone is trying to follow us. First we'll go somewhere together, then we'll split up and each go to several locations. She will take you around the country, for about ten minutes, then to Headquarters."

"What Headquarters?" Harry asked.

"Here, read this." Marlene said and held a strip of parchment in front of his face, her right hand lightly on his shoulder. The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at number 12 Grimmauld Place, London.

"What?"

"Just memorize it and when we get there it will make sense." Marlene said into his ear, sending a pulse through him and he wondered if she was using magic on him somehow.

"Um, ok." Harry said again trying to calm himself and act normal. How was this witch affecting him so? Only Hermione and Cho, had ever made him feel like this.

"Apparition is a bit rough at first, just try not to throw up." Nym said with a chuckle bringing him back to the present.

"Ready?" Moody said and then Marlene was wrapping her arms around Harry from behind. He blushed again when he felt his neck snuggle between her prominent breasts.

"Ready." Marlene said and then Harry's world changed. They were standing atop a building in the middle of a large city and he didn't feel ill at all. There had been a brief squeezing sensation, but it was over before he'd really recognized it.

The other three arrived, each holding their wands at the ready. As soon as the others realized Marlene and Harry were there he felt Marlene's arms tighten and they vanished again. This time they appeared on a beach.

"Why don't I feel ill like Nym said?" he asked when she didn't apparate away immediately.

"Because I'm far more powerful than they know, and that allows me to do it both faster and smoother." She said from above him. "Now we'll do a bunch of rapid ones then we'll be where your Miss Granger is."

"Are you doing something to me?" He said and her arms tightened, but they didn't go anywhere. Instead she stepped back from him and used his shoulders to turn him around.

Her eyes were suddenly hard pieces of ice. "I am a Hit Witch Mr. Potter, the youngest ever. My job is to stop Dark Lords and their minions. I have not, and will not, use magic upon you without your permission. What you may be feeling is our magic, yours and mine, interacting. You're the most powerful wizard I've ever been around, and I've only met a few witches that equal or exceed myself, your Miss Granger is one of them."

"oh." He said looking down in sudden understanding. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm trying to learn all of this, but most people expect me to already know it."

"Look at me." She asked in a much kinder tone and when he did her eyes had returned to normal. "I apologize, I too acted as though you understood what was happening and chose to instead accuse me of using a potion to attract you. What you feel, and yes I feel it as well, is merely our magic telling us that we could form a relationship."

His blush was threatening to reach his toes. Again he ran through the deep breathing exercise which at least allowed him to open his eyes and look at her again. "Thank you for explaining. Will you be staying with us too?"

Her left eyebrow quirked up in question but when he didn't say anything she did. "Yes, and I cannot explain why. I've been forbidden to reveal certain things until Lord Black does so. Now we must be on our way. They are expecting us."

"Yes, ok." He said and turned around, putting his back to her once again.

She draped her arms around his chest and the world changed at least ten times in rapid succession before there was a brief pause. "You ok Mr. Potter."

"Yeah, some of those places looked interesting."

"Perhaps we can visit them later." Marlene said and her arms pulled him tightly against her slim body before they apparated out again. This series was a little longer, but they ended up on the side of a gloomy street.

"Now think of the contents of that parchment, read it in your mind." She said and as he did the scene changed in front of him. They were now standing on the front porch of a gloomy old manor.

Marlene lowered her head beside his, "Quiet now." She whispered and pushed the door open.

Inside was not an improvement from outside. Gas lamps lit peeling wallpaper and threw scary shadows around the room. There were house-elf heads on the wall! She pulled him inside, then closed the door behind herself to then guide him around the corner and down a dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hall was a door with light streaming from under it.

She gave him a moment for his eyes to adjust and then walked through the door with him just in front of her.

Barely a second later a bushy-haired Harry-seeking missile pulled him into a hug and away from Marlene with a husky " _Harry,"_ breathed into his ear.

 _This is what I've been missing._ He thought to himself and took a deep breath of her familiar scent.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Though his vision was obscured by her hair he clearly heard many voices repeat his name and gave his girlfriend a tight squeeze. "I've missed you terribly Mine." He whispered into her ear before shifting her to his left arm and looking around the room.

They were in a kitchen, and it appeared dinner was long done as the usual pile in the sink was gone. Mrs. Weasley seemed to want to hug him, but Hermione's possessive presence caused her to hesitate and then Sirius stepped up to him and clapped him on the shoulder opposite his girlfriend.

Across the room was a long scarred table that could possibly seat a dozen. Ron was there and looking rather unhappy at how Hermione was wrapped around him. Ginny appeared to be putting on a brave face a few places away from her brother. The twins, seated on the far side, had several books and scrolls spread out in front of them, looking much like homework, but with them one was never sure.

"Welcome Harry." Sirius said.

"Thanks." He said, pulling Hermione even closer when he saw the girl she must have meant in her letter. Daphne Greengrass, was standing on the far side of the room, her eyes boring into his, a completely neutral mask making her look like a statue.

That now familiar chill went through him as her magic slashed across his, going straight to his cock. He shifted Hermione to cover any evidence. She was long accustomed to its presence, and then Marlene was hugging the Ice Queen and Harry realized they looked a lot alike.

With a strangled whine of, "Aunt M." Daphne broke free and marched over to Harry and Hermione. "Lord Black, can we please get the formalities over?" she said addressing Sirius.

"Yes." Padfoot said and turned back to Harry.

"What?" Harry asked while all of the Weasleys in the room looked at him like his funeral was about to be announced.

"Harry, I made you my heir. Officially that means that if I do not have any children then you become Lord Black. That had an unexpected consequence." He said with a quick look at Hermione.

"Go on, I'm not moving." His girlfriend said to his godfather. For which Harry was grateful as his semi had yet to recede, being pressed into her wasn't helping though.

"Yes, well." Padfoot said and then looked at Harry. "Since I'm not even engaged, nor have any children of my own, and there was apparently an outstanding contract with the Greengrass family. Had I been a decade younger it would have applied to me. Instead, Harry, meet your betrothed, Daphne Greengrass."

Harry would have fallen except for Hermione's strong hold on his waist. She kissed his cheek and whispered, "It's fine Harry." In his ear.

His magic seemed to spin, it was already latched onto his girlfriend providing him some stability, but it swirled around both Marlene and Daphne as though testing them.

Both women reacted to it, Marlene gave him a quick smile and Daphne looked relieved, her mask slipping away briefly.

"To make it clear." Marlene said stepping close. "My niece is to become your Lady Black, with Hermione expected to become Lady Potter."

"Damn right." Hermione said with yet another squeeze of his ribs.

"Um, hello?" Harry said a bit nervously. Then Daphne was holding her hand out like Marlene had earlier and he was suddenly grateful for that fumbling practice in the entrance hall of number 4.

He gently took her hand and brushed a kiss across the back of her knuckles.

She graced him with a quick smile and a glance at Hermione. He swore he saw her wink at his girlfriend before she turned and strode from the room. He heard her heels clicking on the stairs as she ascended them.

Several Weasley's, including Ron, let out a sigh at her departure. Whether it was from fear or lust he wasn't sure. Like Marlene, Daphne was gorgeous, and exuded confidence and control. Now that he had a clue what it meant, he couldn't deny that his magic wanted her too.

Though his girlfriend had said it was OK, and she had somehow started this crazy thing, he felt guilty, like he was not being faithful to the one person he knew would stand by him.

The twins were suddenly in front of him congratulating him on scoring two beautiful birds. Which caused Hermione to blush brightly and look down, though her grip never loosened on his waist.

With Marlene's explanation of his magic's ability to judge a witches compatibility he focused briefly on his girlfriend. She seemed to realize his attention, twisted and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. His magic seemed as happy as he was now that she was back in his arms.

He wondered if she felt the same and then remembered Marlene had said she felt it and Hermione's magic was stronger than hers.

"Would you like any food Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "We can fix something for you in a few minutes."

"No, I ate quite a lot earlier, thank you though."

"Let me show you your room Harry." Sirius said and pulled Harry out the door with Hermione, now clutching his hand, and surprisingly Marlene following them.

When they got near a thick tapestry Marlene put her head between Harry and Hermione's and let out a soft shushing noise before backing away again.

Harry had no idea what she was doing but Hermione held her finger to his lips and he got the message, be quiet near the front door.

They went up four flights of stairs and found Daphne waiting for them in the hallway. Instead of the indifferent mask she was gently smiling at them. Which caused Harry to hesitate, but Hermione dragged him over to the Ice Queen.

"Harry, this is Daph. I trust her." His girlfriend said.

"Mr. Potter." Daphne said and then smiled again. "Sorry, Harry."

"Hi." Harry said, not sure what was going on, though his magic seemed elated, which made his smile broader.

"Since you are my Heir this is your room." Sirius said and pushed open a double door at the end of the hall. It was huge and decorated in dark wood and a warm tan fabric. "And with that I'll leave you to work things out." He said and retreated from the room.

Marlene shook her head and met Daphne's eyes. "I'll be just down the hall."

"Yes, Aunt M. thank you." She said as her aunt closed the doors leaving them alone in the room.

Once it clicked closed Hermione jumped into the air twice then hugged Daphne and turned to hug Harry again. "Sorry." She said and collapsed on the bed with a soft giggle.

"Um, Mine?" Harry said.

"She's just happy Harry." Daphne said and sat down on the bed beside the girl. "She actually arranged this."

"What?"

"Oh, don't go confusing him." Hermione said and sat up. "At the end of last year, I spoke to the Headmaster and asked him for more help, someone who could actually hold their own in a fight. With all the trouble we get into I thought we needed it. A person we can trust, unlike Ronald who's always mad at one or both of us, who then leaves us when we need him. Anyway the Headmaster hinted at Daph, but wouldn't say her name. When I got here last week Sirius told me the Headmaster had spoken to him and then Daph arrived with her father and Marlene. Sirius and Malcolm Greengrass signed the paperwork and made it official."

"But."

"Yes you still get a choice Harry. The betrothal is a cover to allow her to be with us."

"You're my bodyguard?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um…" Hermione said.

"Sort of." Daphne said. "It's within my ability yes, but more importantly I'm Hermione's friend and hope to be yours as well. In the meanwhile I am going to make sure you and Mine have a good understanding of tactics, situational awareness, and appropriate reactions and spells."

"I'm rather confused but ok." Harry said and stepped back to look around the room.

"Harry, I'm still going to be your lover and do all the things we've been doing." Hermione said sliding to her feet. He was quite surprised when she took Daphne's hand and pulled her close beside her. "Daph and I met in our third year, we both signed up for all the classes. We shared the time turner. So while you and Ron were angry with me for the broom, she talked to me and we became good friends. I never told her anything private, but she guessed quite a lot of our adventures."

Harry's face had gone pale and he turned to Daphne. "Thank you for being a friend to Hermione when I was being a jerk."

"She's forgiven you so I do as well. I did tell her she shouldn't have gone behind your back, but it was too late at that point." Daphne said.

"So the contract doesn't mean you and I are getting married?" Harry asked her.

She shook her head, causing her long blonde hair to shift in a wave. "It means precisely that. But there is a single out clause, that only Lady Potter can enact, once you officially have a Lady Potter."

"The Lady Potter can cancel the contract, causing none of the breach of contract clauses to enact. She's not cold as she presents in public. It's a disguise to keep her safe." Hermione said.

"And being your betrothed means I cannot be denied. Anywhere you are summoned or called I can go too. Gringotts, the Minister of Magic, Detention at School, you could even be arrested and I can be with you in your cell, it doesn't matter. That will allow me to guard your back at all times, and yes I'm highly trained in combat. My aunt Marlene is the youngest Hit Witch in the world, she attained her rank at the age of 22, she is 29 now. She's been teaching me since I was five."

"And just why should I trust you?" Harry said.

"Harry?" Hermione asked but he ignored her to stare into Daphne's eyes, his magic flooded the area around both girls. Hermione smiled, Daphne seemed to come to a conclusion as she nodded once.

"Mr. Potter." She said and stepped away from Hermione. She then handed Hermione her wand, and then another wand from her waist followed by a large dagger from her boot and finally a small knife he swore she pulled from her hair.

Once Hermione held the arsenal she removed her outer robe and sat to unbuckle her boots. Then she stripped off her shirt and skirt, she stood calmly in front of him in just her thin white knickers, knee length white socks, and a lacy black bra, that did little to hide her breasts.

"My contract is very strict, as the House of Black dictates. I am yours, if I do not produce heirs within five years of our joining, not today mind you, then you are within your rights to kill me and take another wife. I accepted the contract, my magic, my life, and my heart are yours to use or abuse as you wish."

He felt her magic dancing delicately around his, searching for a connection. It didn't as he was far too angry and his own magic had hardened like a shield about him.

Harry saw red and was summarily tackled to the ground by Hermione who kissed him furiously until he started responding to her and his hands latched onto her breasts. She eventually pulled away and spoke while they were breathing into one another's mouths. "It is your choice, I will never leave you, but please Harry, other than you, she's my best friend. I trust her completely, as much as I trust you. So please give her a chance. I hope we spend the next hundred plus years together."

"Oh, Mine." Harry said and shifted his arms to hug his girlfriend tightly to him.

When he managed to look around the room Daphne and her things were gone. "Where did she go?" He whispered.

"Probably into our room." Hermione said and gestured to an open door on his left wall. "It's attached to your suite." She turned and kissed him quickly before levering herself to her feet and going into the indicated room.

Harry lay there on his floor wondering how he got into these situations.

There was a brief murmured conversation and Hermione was back, pulling him to his feet. "Get undressed and get into bed, I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Is she ok?" he asked as she turned away.

"Yes," she said but he didn't think it was very convincing.

"Why is your bedroom attached to mine?"

"Well, actually it's the nursery, but we're fine in there. Aunt M. transfigured the furniture for us."

He stared after her as she went back into the room she shared with Daphne and only finally managed to move when she was out of sight. He was just pulling down his pants when he heard a door close, a quick glance turned into a mesmerized Harry as Hermione stood there completely nude.

She shook her head and walked over to him. He was still stuck, half-bent over, watching her hips and tits sway. "Come on, get those clothes off."

That made him finish shucking his pants and underwear leaving him nude.

"You did take my advice and worked out, I like it, now into bed Mr. I've been missing you a lot this summer."

Nearly an hour later, when they were drifting in post coital bliss, Hermione brought up Daphne again. "Please don't be angry."

"Mine, I was perfectly happy with just you." He said with a sigh.

"I know you were, but we need more help, especially when spells start flying. Unless you want her aunt in our bed, she's the best option, and I trust her."

The truth of her statement shocked him. His magic certainly wanted Marlene McKinnon, as apparently hers wanted him. But she was nearly twice his age, and smart, beautiful, powerful, and clearly unattached.

"What was that look?"

With a sigh he lay on his back, she quickly moved to place her head on his chest and draw lazy figures around his belly button.

"Do you remember, back in school last year, when we felt our magic interacting? Well when I got here mine was happy to find yours again."

"Yes, mine too. And Dumbledore mentioned that we had a balance between us where in some magical couples the weaker one becomes subservient."

"I've got to be honest with you. When I met Marlene, and again with Daphne, I felt my magic reaching out to them, and theirs to mine."

"Oh." His brilliant girlfriend said, her hand stilling on his stomach.

"I'm sorry." He said, tears leaking from his eyes.

"What?" She said, moving up and pulling his arm away from his face. She kissed him several times, then hugged him. "There's nothing wrong love. And I've a confession to make as well," She rushed on before he could interrupt. "My magic is connected with Daph's."

"Hermione." Harry said and managed to focus on her eyes, she was close enough without his glasses. "You're in love with her aren't you?"

His lover blushed and then nodded once. "After you she is the most important person in the world to me. And yes I would choose you if I have to, but please don't make me do that."

He stroked his thumb across her cheek and cupped her ear to keep her looking at him. "You've more than earned my trust. If you think it's important, then yes. But I've got to get to know her, and she me, or we will never get along."

"Thank you." She said and kissed him before they fell into a contented sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Harry was woken in the morning by a gentle hand resting on his bare shoulder. He struggled for a minute to remember where he was and what had happened, then his glasses were handed to him and the beautiful blonde came into focus beside him.

"Good morning." He whispered.

"Morning My Lord." Daphne whispered where she knelt beside his bed.

He suppressed his anger again and struggled to stay calm. Why was she acting like a house elf? Was his magic that much stronger than hers? "Meet me in your room in a few minutes, we need to talk." He whispered.

She merely nodded and stood to walk away. That was when he realized she was already fully dressed for the day. A quick glance at the clock showed it was not quite seven in the morning yet.

He untangled himself from Hermione, who remained in the arms of Morpheus, donned his boxers and a robe before heading to the open door the blonde had vanished through.

It was a small room, with two twin beds, their trunks and a door to a shared loo on the far wall. Crookshanks and a smaller black cat were watching over the room from padded shelves that had been added to the walls for them. Daphne was sitting on the closer bed, her back against the wall, legs pulled up and hands clasped around them.

"I'm sorry if my reaction last night caused you pain. Did you get enough sleep?" he asked her, much to her surprise.

She shrugged, "Not really, but I'll manage."

"Daphne," Harry started, almost sat beside her and then sat on the edge of Hermione's bed to look into her eyes. "I need you to understand why I was angry. I've had most of the choices in my life made by others. Hermione simply asked for help, yet somehow that translated to a betrothal? Either it's my godfather's idea of a prank, or the Headmaster's continuing manipulation of my life. The fact that Hermione can cancel it, if we don't get along, actually is a great relief to me. I'm not into formality, and I certainly don't understand how any of this happened. But I trust Hermione, she says she trusts you so I will extend mine to you."

"I understand, My Lord." She said softly, her troubled eyes watching him over her knees.

"No." he said. "I don't think you do. Since she said she never told you private things you do not know how I was raised. My aunt, and her husband are muggles and they absolutely hate magic and anything to do with our world. For the first ten years of my life they tried to beat it out of me. One of the side effects, is that I do not trust many people, and tell my secrets to far fewer. In fact until just now that extended to a single person."

"Thank you My Lord." She whispered, and released her legs allowing her hands to clench into fists, short nails digging into tender palms.

"No." He repeated and took her hands, until they opened for him to hold. "Daphne, don't hide your emotions from me, and I promise not to hide mine from you."

"That's very difficult My Lord." She said and struggled to maintain her control.

"And another thing, unless it is required in formal society, I am NEVER your lord. My name is Harry, I expect you to use it. If you wish you can even come up with a pet name for me. Like I call Hermione, Mine, which I noticed you did as well."

A few fat tears leaked from Daphne's blue eyes, though she couldn't wipe them as he kept holding her hands. "Please."

He shrugged. "I haven't a clue what you mean by that." He moved his hands to gently wipe her tears away and then sat beside her on the bed to pull her into a hug.

A moment later and a nude Hermione joined them on the bed, also hugging Daphne. When she kissed the blonde's cheek it seemed to be her undoing.

Daphne Greengrass, the strongest and scariest classmate he knew, dissolved into tears on his chest.

"What did you tell her?" Hermione hissed, while at the same time she caressed Daphne's cheek and hugged her.

Harry shrugged. "Not sure. I told her not to call me her Lord, and that I trusted her, oh and I mentioned how the Dursleys treated me."

Daphne's tears intensified and she pushed her face into his robed chest. Her hands grabbed some of the lose fabric at his sides to pull herself tighter against him just as her sobs erupted anew.

"Daph," Hermione said in alarm and then kissed her friend's cheek repeatedly, while Harry just held her against himself.

Several minutes later the Ice Queen had calmed and turned to kiss Hermione gently on the lips. "Thank you."

"What did I do?"

Daphne kissed her again, just as gently, before speaking. "You got me here, with you and Harry, thank you."

The brilliant brunette shrugged and giggled.

"Are you ok Daphne?" Harry asked.

"For now, yes. Thanks." She said and pulled away from him. Her makeup had run a bit, though she didn't wear much. "I'm grateful you trust me. And I'll extend my trust to the two of you. I was also beaten while growing up. Though my physical injuries were healed, I still feel them here." She tapped her head. "Aunt M. took custody of me a few years ago and I'm safe with her."

"Why would anyone beat you?" Hermione asked.

"Because I'm not a boy so cannot continue the family name." Daphne said.

"And the Greengrasses are an Ancient and Noble house, like Black and Potter." Hermione said. "Now your sister has to claim Line Continuation, right?"

"Yes, you did pay attention." Daphne said.

"What's that mean?"

"The last daughter of a house can claim Line Continuation when she marries. That means that all of her children will belong to her maiden family, not her husbands. So for her husbands line to continue he has to have another spouse or mistress. That does not apply to us as we will both be your wives, one for Potter and one for Black." Hermione dutifully explained.

"Is Marlene the last of her line?" Harry asked, going pale.

"She is." Daphne said. "Why are you scared Harry?"

"He felt her magic yesterday, and yours as well." Hermione said with sudden understanding. "She'll have to be a mistress, but Sirius keeps implying he wants to date her."

Daphne shook her head. "She won't date him or even be less than formal until he has at least a betrothed. She'd be much happier with us." Daphne grinned wickedly at Harry and then brushed her hand across Hermione's bare breast. "Mine, you shouldn't be nude or Harry and I will have to attack you." She added with a playful smile.

"I don't think Harry's quite ready for that yet, so I'll shower." Hermione said, and walked into the loo, grabbing some clothes from her trunk.

Harry sat in shock, staring after his lovers fine ass. Slowly he recovered and turned to the beautiful girl sitting beside him. "Are you two…"

"Yes." She said softly and looked down at her hands.

"That's…" He said and drifted off. "I'm not sure how to feel about that so I'll shut up. I'd never tell Hermione she couldn't, um… With you, that is…"

She nodded once and looked at him, but he was now looking away from her in embarrassment. "You've been her lover for months, I know you're not embarrassed by her nudity. You have every right to claim me as well, but I want to earn your trust and become friends first."

"Good. I'm not about to do anything you're not comfortable with. There is no reason to do anything we're not comfortable with." Harry said and took her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "Last night your magic tried to connect to mine, I was far too angry at the time. I'm sorry if that distressed you. I'm not trying to push you away, I just want to know more about you first."

The Ice Queen slowly nodded, not saying anything.

"There have been four witches I've noticed my magic interacting with. Hermione, Cho Chang, your Aunt and you. Dumbledore told Hermione that if one person's magic is much weaker then they become subservient to the other. I do not want that to happen, I want you to be able to tell me when I'm being an idiot."

"I don't think it will, I'm about equal to my aunt, but Mine is a bit stronger than either of us. What about Chang? Wasn't she dating Diggory?"

"Yes, but since I flew against her on the pitch I've been attracted to her." He moved to stand but looked at her in concern instead. "I guess I better go find my own loo and get a shower."

"Thank you for your concern Harry. I'm feeling much better now, she wouldn't mind if you joined her you know." Daphne said, gesturing at the loo in front of them.

"Yeah." Harry said, rubbing is free hand through his hair. "I think we better make an early appearance downstairs. I need to sort out the Weasleys, especially Ron and Ginny."

She tightened her hold on his hand, causing him to look at her before she spoke. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ron once told me he liked Hermione, we kind of kept our relationship secret during the Tournament. Not like anyone else was actually talking to she and I anyway." He paused and looked into her eyes, "Did you ignore her last year?"

"Certainly not." Daphne said. "I am loyal to my friends, and Hermione is much more than a friend to me."

"Thank you."

"So Ronald needs to be fully informed of the depth of your relationship with Mine, what about Ginerva?"

"She's been in love with the Boy-Who-Lived forever, and I suppose saving her life didn't help matters much."

Her eyes went wide and she spoke quickly, tightening the grip on his hand. "The Chamber of Secrets." She whispered and when he nodded she continued. "I'd recommend reminding Mrs. Weasley that Ginevra owes you her life. And then point out to Miss Weasley, that you expect her to be loyal to you and do well in her classes." Daphne said.

"Um…"

"Life Debts are very serious Harry. You own her. Though you may never want to add her to your bed, you can claim her as a mistress. In the meanwhile, until you understand just what you do want, reminding her of these things will ensure she remains pure and does not gain a reputation for sleeping around."

"So."

"So you are not claiming anything, merely stating your desire for her to remain faithful to you and become a witch worthy of your household. If it ever becomes public knowledge that she owes you, then her reputation will reflect upon you."

"Thanks, I'll have to do that."

She gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "Now go get dressed, in clothes from your closet, not your trunk. Aunt M. helped Hermione and I get you a new wardrobe."

"Really? Thanks." He said and slid to his feet, only then letting her hand go. With a brief glance at their loo he left, closing the door as he did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So what is the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked when they met Marlene at the top of the stairs.

"Dumbledore built it to fight Voldemort in the first war, it's been reformed since his resurrection in June." The tall blonde woman said. "And yes, I'm a member of it."

"Oh," Harry said and thought about that as they went down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Ron was eating a mountain of pancakes while the twins looked to have finished a while ago and were now sitting back whispering intently to one another. Sirius and Remus were a few spaces from them but we're obviously listening to the twins plans while they slowly ate their pancakes and sipped coffee.

Ginny was standing near her mother, apparently having just entered the room, and had a fresh plate of pancakes in her hands. "Wow Harry." She said when she saw him and nearly dropped her plate. "You look great." She added with a blush and hurried to sit at the table.

He glanced down at the hem of her robe, noting it was very worn, the whole thing had faded from a Cannon orange to dull brownish orange.

"Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley said, wand in hand. "Where did you get such nice clothes?"

Harry grinned at her, held Hermione's hand up. "My incredible girlfriend apparently conspired with my betrothed and her aunt to provide me with a new wardrobe."

"But that would have cost a small fortune?" She asked.

He shrugged, though Ron was looking jealous and Ginny depressed. "They won't let me pay them back, so I'm going to buy them, and Ginny a bunch of new clothes."

Ron sprayed half-chewed pancakes across the table, and onto Sirius. Ginny looked happy, but then saw the expression on her mother's face and started to cry.

"Stop!" Daphne said in her hard, cold voice. It had the immediate affect of making Molly Weasley close her mouth and Ron pause halfway to his feet. "The Weasleys are an Ancient Pureblood family, as was Prewitt. You are well aware of the affect of a Life Debt. Do not try to deny it. Your daughter's appearance and behavior reflect upon My Lord Potter."

Mrs. Weasley looked angry for a moment, then schooled her features into a scowl. "Look her young lady—"

"NO." Marlene barked, striding into the room and up to the Weasley Matriarch. "You know the law, and now Harry does as well. Why no one explains anything to him I've no idea. He is within his right. And this will allow you to spend that money, on your youngest son instead. I'm sure he would appreciate new clothes and perhaps a broom."

"We can't afford a broom."

"I'll be paying Ginny's tuition as well." Harry said firmly.

"What?" Ginny said, her eyes wide.

Harry turned his attention to the scared girl, her fright sent ice into his veins, calming him in an instant. "None of this came out the way I wished." He walked over to Ginny and took the chair beside her. "I've just learned a few things. I'm hoping you know this already, but here goes. Since I saved your life it apparently belongs to me. I'm not about to do anything against your will, and I'm not sure what either of us want. But I will do my duty and make sure you have the things you need. In exchange I expect you to do the best you can in your classes, take whatever subjects interest you, but do good in them. And…" He trailed off with a blush.

"Don't develop a bad reputation." Daphne said for him, with her hand resting on his shoulder. "If you're known for causing fights, dating a lot of boys, or breaking rules, it will reflect on him."

"Oh." Ginny said.

"Meanwhile." Hermione said levitating three plates of pancakes onto the table. "Let's eat."

"You can't do magic outside of school!" Ron said.

"Of course I can. The Ministry can't tell what's going on in this house. In fact they don't know it exists. Right Lord Black?" She said and sat beside Harry with Daphne claiming the seat on her other side. Their hands met at the syrup pitcher, the brunette let her blonde companion take it, and she poured it on both of their plates before handing it to Harry.

"Well, yes." Sirius said, his own wand busy cleaning up Ron's uneaten food on himself and the table.

"MUM!" Ron exclaimed and turned to her in anger. He was immediately echoed by his brothers who all converged on their shocked mother.

Harry just managed to keep from laughing out loud as Mrs. Weasley was so expertly distracted from the clothes discussion and surrounded by her irate sons.

"I've always said that she was the smartest witch of your generation Harry." Sirius said, lifting his coffee cup in salute to Hermione who blushed prettily.

Remus laughed along with everyone at the table.

"Harry?" Ginny asked softly.

"We'll discuss it later ok Gin?" He said and squeezed her hand briefly.

"Ok." She said and went to work on her pancakes as Marlene sat beside her niece. With Mrs. Weasley so distracted, they had been able to cook their own pancakes.

"How did everyone sleep?" Marlene asked.

"Best night all summer." Harry said with a grin he couldn't keep off of his face.

"No Aunt M. I was not in his bed." Daphne said without looking up.

"But I was." Hermione said without any hesitation.

Ginny blushed almost as brightly as Harry did, but he managed to laugh as well.

"Harry." Sirius said making him look up, fork paused in his mouth. "You make the rules in your suite. Besides one of your ladies owes you her life and the other is legally betrothed to you."

The surprised Boy-Who-Lived looked at his girlfriend and she nodded, quite happy to fully belong to him.

Which she said a moment after she washed her pancakes down with some pumpkin juice. "Of course you own me Harry, though I've got a good claim on you for saving your life a few times too."

"I have to admit that I didn't sleep too well." Sirius said, "but I didn't have a lovely girl to snuggle with either."

"No Sirius." Marlene said. "You have a long way to go before I even consider you worthy of my attention."

Remus laughed and shoved Sirius. "And if that doesn't give you enough incentive to stop getting drunk all the time, nothing will."

Sirius looked like he was actually in pain for a moment before turning to his friend. "Lock the cabinet and hold onto the key."

"Ohh," Marlene cooed. "The scoundrel takes a step forward."

"Aunt M." Daphne said sharply. "Don't tease the Lord Black. And Harry, even if he does have children it does not break our contract. The only thing that can do that is Lady Potter rejecting it. And you've got to marry her first."

"But what family would your children belong to then?" Hermione asked. "Would they be Greengrass?"

"No." Marlene said. "They would still be Black's, as though they were Sirius' brothers children. And I apologize for referring to Regulus." She added when Sirius flinched.

He waved dismissively at her, "He was a Death Eater. I'll not feel sorrow for one of his followers."

"Well that gives us something in common Lord Black." Daphne said and then explained it before anyone could ask. "I had an older brother, he was also a Death Eater. Moody killed him a few years after I was born."

Into the silence that statement generated, a Ministry owl landed on the table. Hermione went white in fear, Sirius removed the letter from it and it flew out the back window.

"Hmm, that's weird. Harry do you have your wand?"

"Yeah, right here." He said, pulling it from his wand sheath on his arm and casting a quick Lumos.

"What's this?" Mrs. Weasley asked, having been drawn to the owl's arrival.

"Well somehow the Ministry thinks Harry cast a Patronus two minutes ago on Crescent Walk."

Hermione, who'd recovered when the letter wasn't about her, snatched it from Sirius' hand. She and Daphne read through it carefully.

"But he's been here!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed in confusion.

Remus stood, brushing some crumbs off his shirt. "I'll let Dumbledore know. He'll sort it out." He finished his coffee, took the letter from Hermione, and headed out the back door.

The concerned brunette took Harry's hand. "It looks official."

"Well we know he didn't do it." Sirius said, "And Dumbledore is the head of the Wizengamot, I'm certain he can sort it out."

"So the levitation Hermione cast made the Ministry think Harry cast something different in a completely separate location?" Ginny asked.

"Well no, that wouldn't make any sense at all." Hermione said. "Could that happen?"

"I don't see how." Sirius said. "Even bonded couples never have that happen."

Hermione took Harry's hand briefly, "I'm sorry if I got you in trouble."

The Boy-Who-Lived just shrugged. "I'm with Sirius on this. Sounds like a frame up to me."

"The Minister for Magic has been ridiculing both yourself and Dumbledore in the paper." Daphne said and then forked the last bite of her pancakes into her mouth. "Those were excellent pancakes Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley looked shocked at the compliment from the Slytherin girl. "Well thank you. I always try to find the best receipt I can."

"You should publish them in a book." Daphne said and turned to Hermione where Harry saw her give a quick wink, which caused Hermione to cough into her hand to cover a laugh.

}-{

After breakfast, the non-Weasleys headed into Lord Black's study. The room was just off the landing on the first floor and behind a solid door, carved with the family crest. Inside it was decorated in dark wood with gold trim and red velvet. Daphne insisted Ginny come along as she and Harry still needed to talk. Marlene slipped inside just before Sirius closed the door. No one protested her presence.

Sirius sat behind the large marble-topped desk and opened one of the bottom drawers. "Here is your Heir Black ring Harry." Sirius said and handed him a thick platinum ring with the Black family crest. "Put it on your ring finger of your right hand. We'll visit Gringotts today and get your Potter ring."

Harry shrugged and slipped it onto his finger. It flashed and resized, sending a jolt of magic into him.

"And here is Miss Greengrass' betrothal ring." Sirius said, handing Harry another Black-crested ring. It was slimmer than the one he now wore, but had a sapphire on either side of the crest.

"What?" Harry said, looking at his godfather in shock.

"You give it to her to wear, and eventually replace it with a wedding ring. You might have to wait until she is of age to give one to Hermione, though special circumstances might alter that."

"Oh." He said and turned to Daphne. His heart was drowning out his hearing so he took a minute to do several of the deep breathing exercises and got it under some control. _He was putting a ring on a girl's finger!_ The thought sent his heart pounding again and he glanced into her eyes and flinched back.

The Ice Queen looked every bit of her famous name, and then she softened her pose. "Sorry," she said. "It's a habit when I'm scared."

His heart had nearly stopped at that look directed at him, it resumed at it's normal pace a second after she relaxed. _Merlin she could kill with her eyes…_ He thought and finally got himself under control.

"You're scared." Ginny said as Hermione hugged Daphne tightly.

Hermione was looking intently into his eyes, she gave him an encouraging smile and he felt her magic pull him closer to them. A quick step forward and brought his hand up to gently hold Daph's left.

"Yes." Daphne admitted. Still in Hermione's arms as her eyes followed the ring in his hand. "On the ring finger." She added when he hesitated.

He slipped it onto her finger, holding his breath. It flashed as his had, sending a pulse of magic through both of them. It didn't actually hurt but made them both freeze for a second in surprise.

"That did it." Sirius said.

"Did what?" Hermione asked.

"Put her on the tapestry beside Harry." He answered, pointing at the Black family tapestry he had moved to hang in this room.

"Excellent." Marlene said and kissed the top of Daphne's head. "A word of warning, that ring can morph into an Engagement band, the stones will grow and change to diamonds. It will happen when you both decide your relationship has progressed sufficiently. Now we need to let them have a private discussion Lord Black."

"But this is my office." He protested.

"And will prevent anyone but yourself from opening that door to enter, though it will not stop them from exiting." She continued and motioned him towards it.

Harry nodded to his godfather who finally stood and left the room with Marlene right behind him.

Hermione and Daphne moved a bit farther away, but remained standing, whispering softly to one another, each kept a hand lightly touching the other.

"Harry?" Hermione asked to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Daph and I are going to get ready, don't come up until 9, ok?" His girlfriend said.

Harry looked at the clock, that was nearly an hour away. Then he had a sudden realization. "Um, sure." He said and they left the room.

"What are they going to do that will take them an hour to get ready?" Ginny asked.

"I'm trying not to think about it." Harry said turning his attention to the young ginger. His magic seemed completely indifferent to her presence and he had no idea what that meant. Was her magic too weak? He didn't think so, she did well in classes. Was she just too young? All of the witches that his magic had reacted to were older than he was, Marlene by fourteen years!

"Why?" She asked, then her eyes went wide. "Oh!"

"I'm sorry if I scared you Ginny." Harry said to change the topic and walked a few feet away to sit on the heavy leather couch. His attention was drawn to his ring while he waited for Ginny to recover. _What would the Potter ring look like?_ He wondered.

It took her a moment to get her mind back on what they were discussing. "I think I'm getting it now." She said. "I panicked when I thought you were going to claim the debt. Mum warned me that you could take me out of school and make me have sex with whomever you wished for the rest of my life."

"Merlin no." Harry said in shock. "How could she be so cruel to you? Have people actually done that?"

She shrugged, tears leaking down her face.

"Ginny, I'm not going to do that." He said plainly to make her understand. "I've got the only lover I've ever wanted. And at some point her girlfriend will be joining us as well."

She looked at him in shock, finally gaining control of herself again.

"Here is what I envision for the future. You graduate, find someone to fall in love with and get married. Or not, and follow some career path, like playing Quidditch. I'll ask your favorite team to give you a tryout. I'm sure my name has to be worth that."

She sat in shock for a moment and then gave him a quick smile. "Thank you. No one ever told me that what I do can reflect on you. I'm sorry if I disappointed you over the last two years. I promise to improve."

"But we still need to get you a new wardrobe and I've got to tell Gringotts to pay your tuition from my vaults. I'm going to setup an allowance for you to buy some things for yourself or gifts for others, if you want any one item that costs more than a few galleons, ask me about it first. If you abuse it then I'll take it away, but I want you to be able to buy yourself new clothes once in a while. You're not responsible for your school things out of that money, it's for things you want, not what you need. And if something embarrassing comes up talk to Hermione, if she says it's ok I'm not going to argue, no matter how much it costs. When is your father here next? I'd like to speak with him about all of this." Harry said.

"Wow, thanks Harry." She said, suddenly a bit breathless at the thought of her own money. "He and mum are still sleeping at the Burrow, but they usually eat dinner here." She said.

"OK, if you see him let him know I want to speak with him. You can explain as much of this as you like, it isn't a secret from your parents. I will tell your mum I'm very disappointed that she would think so little of me that I would be capable of what she suggested."

Then the house shuddered and a wailing emanated from somewhere.

Harry was out the door and sprinting upwards before he even thought about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ronald Weasley was so ticked off he didn't care if he got in trouble with his mum anymore. He was going to get his girl no matter what bloke stood in his way, he could use magic!

In a red haze he went to the fourth floor and jerked on the door to the Heir suite. It shook, but didn't open, so he pulled his wand out and hexed it. There was a bang, but the door stayed closed.

He hammered his fists on it, screaming. "Come out here you hussy. You're mine!"

The door flew inward, the fabled Ice Queen stood there, in a bathrobe, and apparently nothing else as her feet were bare. Behind her he saw his quarry, also dressed in a bathrobe, there was smeared red lipstick on her neck.

 _Merlin! He'd take them both!_ He thought at the sight.

"You are not welcome here Moron." Ice said in her most imperious tone.

"I'm not yours." Hermione said firmly into a gap in Ron's heavy breathing.

"I was there. It was my spell that knocked the troll out!" He rallied, though his leg was warm from the piss running down it.

"No." Ice said. "You caused her to be there, therefore a Life Debt cannot be formed. Go away!"

"No!" He said, but took a step back when her wand-tip glowed red.

"I am the Betrothed of Lord Black's Heir. This is his suite. She is under my protection. I am within my right to defend her."

"Eat slugs!" he shouted and shot the spell at her.

Her wand flicked, summoning a shield to block it. But when the spell hit the shield the whole house shuddered. A bolt of magic shot from the Black family crest over the doorway and Moron was engulfed by it. A loud wailing started from the stairway.

When they were able to look, Moron was a six foot long grey slug. It wavered for a second balanced precariously on its thin tail. Then it toppled sideways and crashed into the floor.

The Ice Queen held her wand high, red-painted lips smiling coldly. "I warned you Moron." She said and conjured a stone pen about ten feet in diameter and four feet tall, to contain the thing until it could be dealt with. She contemplated conjuring some salt, but demurred.

There was shouting from the twins on the second floor, "Is it Death Eaters?" The loud wailing continued from the base of the stairwell.

Hermione cast a cleaning spell on herself, then on Daphne to make them a bit more presentable. A second spell made their hair wet, removed their nail polish and makeup. She was pointedly ignoring her former friend as he squirmed in a pool of slime and his own refuse.

}-{

Harry arrived on the fourth floor, shot between the yelling Molly and Sirius, then skidded around a stinky stone enclosure, just missing the twins who each held a salt shaker for some reason, and into his suite. Hermione and Daphne were standing a few feet inside, wearing bathrobes, long wet hair plastered to their backs.

Marlene was speaking with them and gracefully stepped from his path as he snatched his lover into a one armed hug and then pulled the Ice Queen against them with his other arm. Both girls quickly added their arms to the three-way embrace.

The Hit Witch glanced out the door, made a gesture with her hand and pushed the doors closed with a wandless charm. Before they clicked closed she joined the hug, whispering into Harry's ear. "They're fine, they were in no danger, this house will protect you."

"I…" he started but trailed off.

Hermione kissed him firmly, one of her hands grabbed the back of his head to hold him in place, and he settled down immediately. When she pulled back he was ready to listen. "It was Ron. He tried to break in and kidnap me. Then he cast his slug vomiting hex, but Daph shielded it, and the house turned him into a giant slug."

"Really?" Harry asked his eyebrows vanishing into his long fringe.

"Did you miss him in the stone pen?" Daphne asked.

"I guess so." Harry said and glanced at the closed doors, beyond Marlene's shoulder.

"They don't need you out there." Marlene said calmly. "Lord Black will sort it out. He is the only one who can reverse it anyway."

"I want him away from her." He said, his chin twitching to Hermione.

"I will inform Lord Black of your wishes." Marlene said formally and slowly pulled herself from their arms.

Harry hadn't realized it, but he and Daphne, were holding her fairly tightly.

"Thank you Aunt M." Daphne said.

Marlene slipped into the hall, closing the door behind herself, quickly cutting off the arguing going on, and the wailing, which continued from below.

"Come sit." Daphne said, pulling them towards the fireplace.

"So the two of you were in the shower?" he asked when they got to the couch.

Crookshanks and the small black cat ran out from under the couch when Harry sat making him nearly jump back to his feet. The cats went to their respective owners.

"Well not really." Hermione said scooping her long-legged familiar into her arms. "This is so everyone else thinks that."

"What…" he started but then blushed and drifted off.

"Yes, we were 'involved' when we were interrupted." Daphne said as her cat rubbed on her bare ankle.

"Sorry." Harry said, covering his red face with his hands.

Hermione shared a look with her lover, put Crookshanks down and shucked her robe to straddle his lap.

Harry squeaked, but his hands came free from his face to allow his arms to hold her close.

"Love, you can see me naked anytime." Hermione said. "Now calm down."

"Ron is supposed to be our friend." He said bitterly.

"No, I don't think he really is." Daphne said, sitting beside him, moving her kitten to her lap. "Look at all the times he's fought with Mine, over her trying to help him or get him to do what he was supposed to do anyway. And then he pushed you into that fight with her over the broom, and didn't believe you were forced into the tournament. No, he's petty and jealous. I'm sorry, but it's what I see."

"No, he was my first friend." Harry said, but his voice lacked conviction as he turned to Hermione.

"I have to agree with Daph. Most of the time he and I barely tolerate one another." The brilliant brunette said softly and then pressed a kiss to his famous forehead. "I am your first friend and Merlin himself couldn't pull me from you."

He didn't say anything, clearly overcome with emotion. She shocked him out of it by changing topics. "You don't need to be embarrassed when we talk about sex. We've nothing to hide from you, I just think it's a bit too much for you right now. If you want to join in, neither of us will complain."

"No, I…" Harry said, looking between Daphne who sat calmly beside them, still wearing her robe and the nude girl in his arms. "I think you're right Mine. I don't really have any problem with the two of you doing… it… but I need to be more comfortable with your beautiful lover first."

Daphne blushed at his comment and turned her attention to scratching the jet black kitten behind its ears.

"I'm not lying." He said quickly to the blonde. "I've always thought you were pretty, most of the school does, which I suspected was why you were so cold and indifferent to begin with."

She nodded, her cheeks pink. "Yes, thanks."

"So I'll step out, clear our patio, and head to the library for a while."

"No." Hermione said and kissed his cheek. "We're out of time. We'll be ready in about fifteen minutes to head to Gringotts."

"You owe three girls some shopping." Daphne said gently placing her purring kitten on the couch beside her.

"Do you think your Aunt would be upset if I got her something as well?" Harry asked.

"She'd love it." Daphne said and suddenly leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before standing and holding Hermione's robe for her to put on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The hallway had changed again. The slug pen was gone and in its place Marlene was sitting on a stool, inspecting herself in a small mirror.

Harry was about to comment that she looked perfect, when a voice came from the mirror.

"I found the report. Looks like Fudge is pushing this personally. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, and yes, you're still on your own."

"Not a problem Ma'am, my niece is adequate backup."

"Consider her deputized, if you believe it is necessary. Were you with Mr. Potter when this supposedly happened?"

"Yes Madam, I began guarding him at six last evening and he has spent the night in a manor under my guard."

"Then I don't know what Fudge hopes to accomplish. You'll tear him apart if it comes to trial. For the record you have my full support. Very well McKinnon, I'll let you know what I discover."

"Thank you Madam Bones." Marlene said and snapped the small mirror closed before turning to Harry, who was looking angry.

"Who was that?" He said, barely maintaining his control.

"My boss Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Marlene said.

"I don't like people spying on me." He said, though not as angrily as before.

"I have not spied on you Harry. I informed my boss of the underage magic notice you received. I have told her nothing else about where we are or what is happening." She slid from the stool to stand in front of him, not showing any sign of tension as she faced the angry wizard and his flaring magic.

"I believe you do not know just what it means to be a Hit Witch or Wizard. There are only a few of us, less than a dozen currently. Our job is to investigate anything we believe might be nefarious or dark in nature and stop it. Typically those are very dangerous activities so we are the most highly trained and respected among Law Enforcement. Previously we were known as War Witches and back in the day of the Founders, Battle Mages. Many members of my family have dedicated themselves to eradicating evil. Father always said that we are the bloody tip of the spear of light. We shed our blood to allow others to live in peace. Ending this threat is both my job and my responsibility."

"Oh." Harry said, now understanding more of the beautiful woman before him. He was both humbled at her conviction and glad that at least one adult was not waiting for him to kill Voldemort and his followers.

"Now, you were about to speak when Madam Bones surprised you. Do you remember what you wanted to say?"

Harry blushed, he certainly remembered it. His tongue seemed to stumble a moment as he made some noises, but nothing intelligible emerged.

Marlene took his elbow and guided him into the suite to the left, carelessly waving her free hand and conjuring a floating sign that said 'Harry' with an arrow pointing to the door. "I believe this is not a conversation for the hall, and I must fetch my robe for our outing anyway."

Her suite was small compared to his, but still larger than his Aunt and Uncle's room at Privet drive. She walked to a tall wardrobe, its doors wide open, showing several expensive looking dresses and an ash grey robe.

He turned his back, facing the door instead.

"My robe will go over what I am already wearing, there is no need to concern yourself Harry. Now, what were you going to say?"

With a sigh, he turned to face her. The Gryffindor in him demanded he do no less. "I was going to say that you looked perfect as you always do."

Marlene blushed. "Harry…" She breathed in a fairly husky voice that sent chills down his spine and right to the base of his cock. A moment later she was in front of him, the grey robe over her arm and a hand lightly on his cheek. "I do not wish to anger your witch, but I must make an admission to you. Back at your aunt's your magic was violent and full of desire, yet not uncaring. Since your witch has, um… 're-connected' with you, it is now far more loving and warm. It is this, more than anything that draws me to you. Single Wizards like your godfather, the twins and Ronald, emanate lust which I have had my fill of. If you continue to compliment me, and your magic embrace me, I will stop resisting and, as the saying goes—push back."

She paused, removing her hand from his cheek, but continued looking into his eyes. "Thank you for the compliment, I am happy you feel that way."

While he tried to recover from that statement she stepped a few feet away and put the robe on, as soon as she did, it began to change, runes stitched in gold thread appeared in columns all over it, and the trim around the hood, sleeves, and hem became blood red.

"These robes are rarely seen, but I dare say that I will now gather as much attention as yourself while we are shopping. Only Hit Witches and Wizards wear such combat robes. Now as I'm certain you are curious as to what happened with the slug. Lord Black transformed your friend back, and then the three of them left with his belongings."

"Former friend." Harry said firmly. "He tried to kidnap Mine. What happened with the twins and Ginny?"

"I told her to change for our trip to Diagon and wait in her room. The twins were almost taken back to the Burrow as well, they were sprinkling salt on the slug, causing it pain. And are currently trying to set up a prank on me, though it will fail miserably unless I allow it. I'm debating turning it back upon them, but I do not believe I wish to see them naked."

His anger spiked violently at that but before he could speak there was a quick knock on the door and Daphne walked in, Hermione on her heels. The Ice Queen took one look at her aunt's robe and spun back into the hallway.

"Are we ready then?" Hermione asked, her eyes following her lover. Both girls had their hair braided and up on their heads leaving their necks deliciously bare.

"Just about, we need to collect that ginger-girl from her room." Marlene said, as she closed the last few buttons on her robe.

"I'll get her." Hermione said. "What happened to Moron?"

Harry laughed at the new name for their former friend.

Hermione grinned at his response. "Daph came up with that, perfect isn't it?"

"Lord Black returned him to human form, and his mother left with him and his possessions. Sirius decided to accompany them to wait to speak with Mr. Weasley." Marlene said as Daphne came back into the room.

She had added a grey stole over her shoulders, like her aunt's robe it had gold runes on it and a red border.

"Harry, Hermione," Marlene said to call their attention to her. "This robe is the symbol of my job, we rarely wear them in the open, as it is often best to walk unnoticed. When I put the hood up my face will be concealed. I am likely to draw more attention than Harry on our shopping trip. The stole Daphne is wearing is similar to my robe and designates her as my apprentice."

"Um, ok." Harry said. "So is anyone else coming with us?"

"No, I don't believe so. Mr. Lupin was planning on it, but he has not returned from going to see your Headmaster about the letter. I will not take responsibility for the twins behavior, at Gringotts or in the shops. It would not be prudent for your godfather until he is cleared, and he departed to explain the situation to Mr. Weasley. Harry, since you are already accused of underage magic, do not cast anything unless we're under attack, Hermione the same goes for you. With the stole, Daphne has more leeway."

"Let's collect Ginny then and get started." Harry said and headed out the door.

"Merlin," Ginny said when she opened the door a minute later. "You're a Hit Witch!"

"I am, are you ready to go?" Marlene said.

Harry noticed that Ginny had changed into her 'better' clothes and immediately felt sympathetic, having been forced to wear his cousin's hand-me-downs until this morning.

"Hermione, I'm sorry my brother is an idiot. I have no excuse other than that for his behavior and I'm ashamed to belong to the same family."

"We cannot choose our family, only our friends." Daphne said with surprising sympathy as they headed to the front door.

Marlene stopped them at the top of the stairs. "Stay quiet until we are all on the porch."

"Why are we always whispering near the door?" Harry asked.

"The thick tapestry by the stairs conceals Padfoot's mothers portrait, she tends to yell obscenities or just wail as she did earlier when Daph was attacked." Hermione explained.

"Oh," Harry said.

Once they were waiting outside they gathered in a circle.

"I will side-along apparate all of us. It might be a little rough, but is well within my power." Marlene said and pulled the hood of her robe up to conceal her face. With that action the robe also became fully active and they could feel it radiating magic. "Join hands, remember only Daphne and I will use magic. Do not use my name." Her voice was also different.

The five joined hands and were gone a moment later.

Harry definitely felt a little ill when they arrived. It was not nearly as smooth as the ones last night, but it was over in a second or so. He didn't recognize where they were, but this wasn't the Alley as they were inside a building.

"If that's your rough apparition, your smooth must be like taking a step forward." Ginny said. "My parents make me very ill when it's just me with them."

"Thank you Ginny. We are in a Ministry controlled building near Gringotts Bank. The journey in the Alley will be about a hundred meters." Marlene said. "Daphne will be rear guard, I will lead, the rest of you stay in the middle and no running off."

She tapped her wand to the stole on Daphne's shoulders, it shimmered and vanished. Once they all nodded she headed to the door and out into the center of magical commerce in Great Britain.

The door itself was under a notice-me-not charm so they seemed to just appear in the Alley. The majority of the hundred meters was done in complete silence as everyone around them paused to stare at the Hit Witch leading a group of teenagers. Marlene was a very tall witch, with her usual three inch heels she topped six feet, but there was no mistaking her for a man as her robe did little to hide her curves.

The goblin guards snapped to attention and stopped an old wizard from stepping in their way as they climbed the stairs and into the cool interior of the bank. That seemed to wake the stunned shoppers. Several darted off, to tell others about what they had seen, many more gathered and began speculating as to who the group was. They soon figured out that none of them had actually focused on the teenagers.

Marlene strode to the Special Services desk. She said, "Potter," to the goblin seated there, and after a stunned moment the well-dressed being leapt from his perch and ran deeper into the bank, gesturing wildly for them to follow him.

Since most of the witches and wizards inside the bank were still processing the fact that a Hit Witch was standing in the bank, the teens again went un-recognized.

The goblin led them into a well-appointed office. "Please take seats. I will summon your account manager Lord Potter." He said in a crisp voice to Harry and then ran out the door they had just entered through.

"Well, he's excited." Harry said and sat in the middle of the couch.

Hermione slid tightly against his right side, taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers. She was clearly not worried what the Goblins would think.

Ginny sat about a foot to Hermione's right, carefully trying to sit properly and calmly.

Marlene remained standing near the door, she looked very imposing with her hood covering her face.

Daphne, after watching her aunt for a moment, sat on Harry's left, crossed her legs at the knee and kept her back firmly erect.

When Ginny saw how she was sitting she tried to mimic it before giving up and returning to her former pose. She also resolved to ask for help, terrified she would embarrass Harry in some way by being ignorant.

A group of goblins came to the door, but stopped abruptly when they saw the Hit Witch in the doorway.

"Identify yourselves." Marlene said in her magically altered voice.

"I am Senior Account Manager Gluge, I am responsible for House Potter, and this is my office."

"I am Clan Overlord Ragnok, and this is my bank."

"You may wish to have the Black account manager present as well." Marlene said and then stepped out of there way, and in front of Harry while they made their way inside. Ragnok barked something at an attendant in their language and the creature ran back the way they had come.

Hermione was in a mild shock, according to all of the books she'd read, no one acted like that to goblins in their own bank. Wars had been started over less. Beside her Ginny was even worse, she was actually shaking in terror, Overlord Ragnok was never seen by humans outside of his own office unless war was imminent. The brunette placed a hand on the ginger's leg and gave a gentle squeeze.

After Gluge took a seat behind his desk, and Ragnok sat in one of the tall chairs beside it, Marlene shifted to Harry's right, leaving Daphne the closest to the door.

"We have been sending you letters since your eleventh birthday." Ragnok said. "We did not hear of your initial visit with the Keeper of the Keys until after you had left."

"I've never received any mail from Gringotts, Overlord Ragnok." Harry said, strangely calm in the face of this news.

"I'll have a summary of your account ready before you depart." Account Manager Gluge said while his Overlord tried to figure out how to react.

Before that became an issue another goblin stepped into the doorway. "I am the Black Account Manager Axehand." He said, looking at the Hit Witch across the room.

He only moved when her hand gestured for him to proceed. He turned the other high-backed chair around and sat beside his Overlord. "Ahh, I see why I am here." He said a moment later, gesturing to the rings on Harry and Daphne's hands.

"Lord Potter." Overlord Ragnok said. "Tampering with a Gringotts owl is a serious offense. Rest assured we will seek who has been preventing us from communicating with you."

"I would start with Albus Dumbledore." Marlene said, shocking everyone in the room. She explained herself a moment later. "There is a mail redirection ward over the muggle home Lord Potter has lived in, the signature was his."

Overlord Ragnok stood and bowed to Marlene. "The Nation thanks you War Witch. We shall ask for an explanation and the immediate delivery of our held mail."

"Are you here to claim your ring?" Account Manager Gluge asked, as his Overlord sat.

"I am." Harry said, "Among other things."

"While I have your ring box fetched please list your needs." Gluge said and wrote something on a pad, the top sheet then folded itself into a bird and flew out the door.

"On my right is the future Lady Potter, Hermione Granger. I wish to give her a betrothal ring, but as she is muggle-born I will settle for whatever you recommend. She is to have full access to my account and is my beneficiary at this time."

Hermione turned to look at him and they shared a brief stare before she gave him a nod and looked back to Overlord Ragnok.

Harry paused and held up the Black Heir ring. "I have recently been made Lord Black's Heir. To my left is my Betrothed for that family, Daphne Greengrass. Since I have no access to the Black vault I wish to set up a monthly stipend for her. It will allow her to live comfortably should anything happen to myself, and adjust to care for any children we have together."

Daphne took a sharp breath, barely parting her lips, it sounded like a hiss.

Harry continued after taking her hand with his. "On the far side of my Lady Potter is Ginevra Weasley, she owes me a Life Debt, I will pay her Hogwarts tuition for the remainder of her time in school. Also a monthly stipend is to be set up for her, with Hermione having ultimate rights to manage it. I place no restrictions on Lady Potter's power over my account or any of the statements I've just made."

"Harry." His witch said, then kissed his cheek gently after they shared a long look.

Marlene remained completely motionless and silent the entire time, vanishing into the background.

A goblin came running down the hall and paused at the doorway, he held a box in both hands and was trying to catch his breath to announce himself.

"This is Griphook, a minor teller." Gluge announced for the young goblin and motioned for him to place the box on his desk.

When the teller had left the room, Gluge addressed Harry. "Thank you Lord Potter. Is that the extent of your needs at this time?"

"To my knowledge, yes, but my ladies may discover something I did not know I need."

That earned a quick look from both the blonde and brunette, though neither spoke up, while he grinned broadly at his own cleverness.

"Let us start with the donning of the Lord Potter ring." Gluge said.

Overlord Ragnok stood and picked up the box Griphook had delivered. He ran a claw over the lid and it snapped open. Inside were well over a dozen rings.

"There are rings assigned to the first four children of the primary line as well as the Lord, Lady and two Consorts. In addition to the betrothal and promise rings." Gluge said.

Ragnok removed the largest ring and passed it to Harry. "It goes on your left ring finger." He said as Harry took it.

The ring was gold, with the Potter crest carefully engraved in it, six diamonds were arranged in pairs, the pairs forming a triangle around the crest.

Daphne moved his left hand closer to the ring, as he was still holding hers.

It flashed and resized as it touched the webbing between his fingers. "Greetings Lord Potter." Ragnok intoned, swiftly echoed by the other goblins in the room.

"As to your witch." Gluge said, nodding to Hermione. "Without a Lord of her family to sign an agreement the strongest ring is merely a Promise Ring. Even with that we can give her the access and permissions you spoke of. When she reaches her seventeenth year, she can accept whatever ring you then offer her."

"Yes." Hermione said softly and Harry gestured to the box Ragnok still held in front of them.

The Overlord of the Goblin nation hooked a ring in the middle of the box out with a claw and held it towards Harry. It was considerably smaller than his, but only slightly thinner than the one Daphne wore for House Black.

"Hermione, I wish I could make this the Lady's ring at this time, but ask you accept this token and promise of our future."

"I do, Harry." She said, well aware of her chosen words, and held her left hand out to him. He quickly slid the ring on her ring finger, it resized with a brief flash and then flashed again. There was a corresponding flash in the ring box and a larger ring appeared on Hermione's finger.

"Oh," Gluge said. "You should have mentioned you had been intimate. She is now your recognized Consort, which yes, can be promoted to your Lady when she is of age."

"What rights does a Consort have over the promise ring?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the Lord cannot be denied 'access' to you." Ragnok said without any hint of emotion in his voice, while the teens all turned red. "When in school that means you would share his bedchamber, there are Lords suites and he should have one, especially with a Betrothed. She cannot be denied access to him!"

The teens laughed at the way Ragnok said that and calm returned to the room.

"We will need a small sample of everyone's blood to set up the stipends and permissions as you requested. Should you wish to make purchases in any Wizard establishment they will accept your rings pressed into the bill as payment. Your betrothed and consort can also use that to spend the money placed in their stipend. For Miss Weasley, I recommend a Ward ring for House Potter."

Ragnok pulled the smallest ring from the box and handed it to Lord Potter.

"It goes on the ring finger of the right hand." Gluge said.

When Marlene suddenly stepped forward everyone except Daphne jumped, having forgotten her presence. The Hit Witch ignored them to take Ginny's elbow and move her to kneel before Harry. She bent her hood beside the surprised ginger who listened to what she said and then nodded.

She held her right hand up, near Harry's knee though not touching him, and waited.

Marlene retreated and became motionless again.

Harry shook himself and then placed the ring on Ginny's right hand. "Thank you My Lord Potter. I shall do my best to bring honor to your house." She said and moved back to her place on the couch after the ring resized.

"Here are your account statements as well as a list of properties and interest held in businesses." Axehand said, bringing the ledger that had just appeared on his colleague's desk to Harry, who immediately passed it to Hermione.

"I'd like a thousand pounds for myself, and five hundred for my consort. Also a hundred galleons for my betrothed and thirty for my ward."

Gluge wrote on his pad, another bird formed and flew out the door. "Griphook will prepare them. Is there anything else?"

"Passports, and a credit card?" Hermione asked.

"The Goblin nation does not deal in plastic, or letters of credit." Ragnok said firmly. "Your account managers can assist in providing muggle identification at need." He then closed and placed the ring box back on the desk.

"Miss Greengrass, the McKinnon vault is 'restless' for its proper owner. If your aunt cannot be persuaded to accept her legacy, could we pass it to you?" Ragnok said to Daphne.

"No Overlord." Daphne answered without looking in her aunt's direction. "Aunt M. Sealed them inside until she needs them. I will not circumvent her direction. She is well aware of the coming war, and stands at the tip of the Light."

Overlord Ragnock sighed before nodding. "Very well, we shall strengthen our wards about the vault. Even so, it will shatter them within a year."

"I shall inform her of that fact immediately Overlord."

"Thank you." Ragnok said and then turned to Harry. "Lord Potter, you are one of our largest account holders. Many of your ancestors have been named Friends of this Nation. We look forward to further interaction." He said and then left the office.

They quickly made their way out of the back hallway and into the lobby where Griphook gave them the requested funds. Marlene shrank the ledgers Hermione was carrying in her arms and she then slipped them into her pocket.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When they exited the bank there were dozens of witches and wizards waiting at the foot of the steps. Marlene swirled her left hand in a circle causing a dark wood staff to appear, a ruby the size of an egg atop it. Her aura intensified dramatically. She strode to the top step near the crowd, while the teens waited a few feet behind her.

Harry was finally recognized, someone yelled out, "It's the Potter boy!"

Marlene's staff crashed into the marble step, the sound reverberated loudly and the crowd grew silent. "Lord Potter will be addressed as such. He has just taken up his ring. Any further insults will not be tolerated." Her magically altered voice crackled over them.

"So Madam Bones is supporting Lord Potter?" a tall frail wizard asked.

"I do not speak for Regent Bones, but I believe she has stated she is against the slander of Lord Potter printed in the Prophet." Marlene said.

"Lord Potter, will you answer some questions?" a witch asked.

"Ask and I will decide." Harry said after a moment's thought.

"Can you tell us what happened at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in your own words. We only have Albus Dumbledore's statement."

"Yes." Harry said, his right hand finding Hermione's and pulling her with him to stand at the edge of the steps. "First, Cedric Diggory and myself reached the trophy together. We took it after agreeing to share. But it was a portkey which transported us to a graveyard. Someone said 'Kill the Spare' and a killing curse struck Cedric. I was subsequently knocked out. When I woke I was tied to a tombstone and a wizard was performing a ritual. I shall not go into details on this, but when it was complete the Dark Lord, who you all cannot name, was standing there. He and I traded spells, I was able to retrieve the trophy and it transported Cedric's body and myself back to Hogwarts."

He was crying when he finished. Hermione had wrapped both arms around his waist, pressing her head against his shoulder. Daphne stepped to his side, placing her hand on his other shoulder. Ginny stayed where she was, but had to wipe her eyes clear.

The crowd was silent for a moment until someone spotted the girl's rings. Marlene had to bang her staff again to get silence in the ensuing clamor to ask about them.

"I am Lord Potter and Heir Black." Harry said. "Hermione Granger is my Consort for House Potter, and will be Lady Potter. Daphne Greengrass is my betrothed for House Black. And before anyone asks, Ginny Weasley is a ward of House Potter, I will not answer questions about them and the subject is closed."

"That is all." Marlene said. "Lord Potter will now spread some of his gold around the shops as he wishes to make purchases. I believe the first stop will be for ice cream to lift their spirits."

Reluctantly the crowd dispersed. Though they were all in a bad mood they took Marlene's advice and moved to Fortescue's shop.

To maintain her image Marlene stood just outside the shop, staff in hand, becoming as much of a statue as humanly possible. Her magic still seemed to be a physical thing, surrounding her in a golden aura that shimmered and danced in the sunlight.

"Miss Greengrass," Ginny said once they were at a table waiting for their order to arrive. "Can you teach me how I should be acting? I don't want to do anything stupid."

"I shall, for now merely do as you're told, do not speak loudly. Much of this shopping is for you, tell us if you do not like something, otherwise accept what we choose."

"Yes, thank you." Ginny said. "Did I do ok on the steps?"

"You did. Your position did not imply you were intimate with your Lord as ours did. It was a good start." Daphne said.

Ginny blushed and twisted her hands in her robe under the table. More because of the word the blonde had chosen to use. Intimate was something the ginger was trying desperately not to think about. Especially in association with Harry.

"Why is all of this so hard?" Harry asked.

"Because old men like to think of ways to make others embarrass themselves." Hermione said as Mr. Fortescue arrived with their orders floating in front of him.

Marlene started to attract a crowd of curious children, most well under the appropriate age for Hogwarts. Without her moving the ruby atop her staff emitted conjured things, first a large bouncing ball, and then a pair of puppies that scampered around in front of her, slowly exploring and sniffing the little children who dared come close.

"What was that about the McKinnon vault?" Harry asked.

"Not here." Daphne said.

"Thank you." A young mother said, while she watched the most adventurous of the children, a five year old boy, playing with a puppy and giggling.

"We are, and shall be, ready to defend you." Marlene said, the magic of her robe making it sound harsher than her usual gentle voice.

The woman didn't look scared of the voice though and actually smiled before she knelt beside her son to whisper to him.

A Hit Wizard exited the Leaky Cauldron. His hands, the only visible part of his body were a rich brown, his staff was topped by an emerald. There was a brief pause in his stride when he saw Marlene, but he merely lifted his staff in greeting and continued down the center of the Alley.

Marlene's staff also rose briefly, but she set it back on the ground with nary a tap so the little boy was not startled by it.

"Merlin." Ginny breathed, "Two of them at once."

"Her openly being here is forcing her brethren to make themselves visible." Daphne whispered. "Alone might have triggered an attack, but two of them will deter the Death Eaters."

"Are they really that good?" Harry asked softly.

"Wait until we practice." Was all Daphne would say on that and she went back to eating her ice cream float, as it slowly drifted around in front of her.

}-{

(AN – WARNING! Cringe worthy Weasley family secrets ahead. GOL)

"Molly, you've got to control your son." Sirius said. "When your husband gets here I'll have to tell him that Ron's banned from my home."

"Yes, I know Sirius." Molly said. "Obliviate!" She quickly cast, striking Lord Black square in the face with the overpowered spell.

"You talked to Arthur and berated Ron, now you'll go steal some fire whisky from the Diggorys, get drunk, and do not return home until dinner time."

Sirius snapped out of the spell, nodded once to Molly and shook his finger at Ron. "You can't go around attacking people young man."

"Yes, Sir." Ron said morosely.

"Good." Sirius said and strode out the back door of the Burrow's kitchen, on his way to the Diggorys.

Molly sat on the stool by the cooker, watching the man walk across the field. She was tempted to call the Aurors, but Dumbledore was too powerful to obliviate.

"Now we just have to obliviate dad again." Ron said.

"No, I never called him." Molly said. "I don't believe what you tried to do."

"You promised me I could have her!" he said, still quite angry about the whole thing.

Molly Weasley shook her head. "You've got to go about this slowly. We hadn't even started her on the love potion I've been making for you."

"So I can pick another whore?" Ron said, rubbing his hands together in sudden glee. "I'll start with the Brown girl in Gryffindor, she's got big baps!"

Molly shrugged, "You can't get caught! You've seen how I handle your father and brothers. Stun and obliviate them if they start getting curious. It makes them a bit strange but who cares. Now you need to go find that Lovegood girl and practice obliviating her again, you're terrible at it."

"Can I grope her?"

Molly shrugged again, "Only if you can obliviate it from her mind. Maybe that will give you some incentive."

"Yeah." Ron said and hurried out the door and ran after Black, in the opposite direction of the Lovegood property.

Molly sighed. Maybe she had obliviated him a bit too hard when she'd caught him trying to sneak into his sister's room in the middle of the night. "Oh well." She said and started brewing a new batch of stamina potions for Percy, he was due home soon and she was getting randy for her Perfect Percy. Perhaps he'd bring that delicious girlfriend of his, she so loved a threesome.

(AN – I apologize if this section made you shiver. It makes me kind of ill writing it. Now that you have an idea as to what happens in the Weasley household I'll be avoiding it from now on. GOL)


	9. Chapter 9

AN – First of all, thank you for the reviews, authors live off of them. Well they're more like cotton candy than anything I guess. OK, so I grinned at every EWWW or Yuck about my portrayal of the Weasley's in the previous chapter.

I'm not one to explain much, but, oh who am I kidding…

"Lord Black, why were you so easily overcome by the obliviation?"

"Really? I mean I did just spend twelve years in prison with these crazy things trying to suck my soul out of me. And I've never been known for my quick mind, c'mon I abandoned my godson to chase after his parent's betrayer?"

"But why didn't your ring protect you?"

"What?"

"I believe they think house rings can do something." Hermione clarified.

"Oh." Lord Black said. "Why?"

"They are portrayed as such in many fanfictions."

"Oh." He said again.

"House rings serve as identification, nothing more. Which is why they can be used to 'sign' purchases at magical shops. They do not speak or shield their bearer." Daphne clarified.

"So when Ron attacked you it wasn't your ring?"

"No, the ring identified me to the Ancestral House of Black as someone to be protected, it was the magic of the house wards that protected me from Ron, and then the twins."

"SHHHH"

"What?"

"That hasn't happened yet."

"I haven't gone cavewoman on them?"

"No, not yet."

"Oh, sorry, ignore that bit."

"Why isn't Obliviation used more in the world?"

"Because the punishment for being caught is Azkaban?"

"Molly didn't seem to concerned about that?"

"She also isn't concerned about the fact that she gave Arthur a love potion to get him 'interested' in her, and likely still does. Nor does she care about telling both Hermione and Ginny that is a viable option for them."

"But how could she do that to someone as powerful as Sirius?"

"Have you read book seven? This is the woman who out-dueled Bellatrix LeStrange. She isn't in the Order of the Phoenix just to cook and complain that everyone is too young."

"Oh, yeah I remember that now."

"Just one more question. Lady McKinnon, why aren't you wearing your Head of House ring?"

"Because I'm not the Head of House McKinnon." The statuesque blonde said. "I am A Lady of House McKinnon, but as most Ancient and Noble Houses, it is Patriarchal. My father was the last to hold the title."

"So your husband would become Lord McKinnon?"

"No." She said with a glance at Harry who looked down. "My first born male child would become Lord McKinnon when he reaches his seventeenth birthday. In the meanwhile I would be Regent for House McKinnon. So my husband, or consort, would be able to retain his own name as it has no bearing on my family."

"Thank you all for your time and assistance in clarifying some of these more salient points that have come up."

END Authors Note, Gol

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

The stop at the ice cream parlor had done its job. With renewed spirits the group headed into the shops. They made quick stops in the usual school supply stores to purchase higher quality products for Ginny and some for Harry. When it came to clothes they ignored Madam Malkin's, instead Marlene led them into an alley to the east of Gringotts which housed the very highest end clothiers in Britain.

Once Lord Potter was recognized, they became the focus of the manager and sales clerks. Harry gave his Consort and Betrothed carte blanche and went to look through the displays.

He did manage to locate several things that he thought Marlene would like, since she was outside of the shop it was easy to discuss them with the girls. They all agreed on a pair of high heeled dragon hide boots, then he found a dress that he knew she would look perfect in. His girls seemed a bit hesitant on it, but neither of them actually told him not to purchase it so it went into Daphne's pile.

She in turn has to discuss it with the fitters but merely said it was for her Aunt Marlene. Since they had her measurements on file, the dress was altered appropriately and went into a bag.

Ginny was in continual shock at the quality of the clothes, not even Pansy Parkinson could look down on her. The school robes from this shop were not just magically altered to fit, they had charms to keep the wearer warm or cool, and had plenty of expanded pockets to allow them to carry most of their books with them if they wished. She was quickly shown into a changing room and given a mountain of different styles and colors to try on.

Harry walked outside and stood beside the Hit Witch. She again had a crowd and there were now four puppies yipping and playing with the children and one another. The adults shied away from him when he was recognized, though their children ignored him to continue playing. Their parents had told them that the witch in the ash grey robe would protect them from anything, so what was there to fear from a young wizard standing beside her?

"Are we done?" Marlene asked him.

"Nearly, Daph and Mine are finishing up with Ginny's new wardrobe."

"So only a few hours?"

He thought he detected some stress in her voice, altered as it was, and took her right hand to give it a brief squeeze. She was a bit colder than she should be and he frowned. "We'll wrap up in the next ten minutes."

She nodded and he headed back inside.

Harry never saw the actual bill, since Hermione had no limit to her spending she had pressed her ring to it and the manager had grinned when it shimmered blue. "Thank you Consort Potter and Heir-Betrothed Black for your patronage. We look forward to supplying your future needs."

When their purchases were packed in shrunken boxes they finally left the clothier and headed for the apparition point near the Leaky Cauldron.

They saw the black Hit Wizard in the distance, he was talking a group of red-robed Aurors while another Hit Wizard was even farther away on the steps of Gringotts. If these men and women were really as good as Daphne implied, they would greatly boost the citizen's confidence, and tick off Riddle.

Marlene's staff vanished and she took their hands to side along apparate them away. They collapsed in a heap on the front step of Grimmauld Place.

"What happened?" Harry asked, scrambling to get his glasses back in place.

"She's exhausted." Daphne said, her hand vanishing into the hood to feel her aunt's cheek. "We've got to get this robe off of her."

"I'll carry her, open that door." Harry said and after a moment to get into position he picked the Hit Witch up in his arms. Silently thanking his summer exercise routine for giving him the ability to carry this beautiful woman, he followed Daphne into the house and up the stairs. Hermione stayed with Ginny to collect the spilled miniature boxes containing their purchases.

Daphne opened Marlene's room and then helped Harry remove the grey robe. Marlene was pale, but her eyes were open and she had a lazy smile on her lips. "Next time you carry me across a threshold, I expect a ring." She said and laughed softly at his shocked expression.

"Aunt M." Daphne said. "You pushed too much magic into the robe. Do you want a pepper up or are you going to sleep it off?"

"I did?" Marlene said. "That was stupid of me."

"But impressive." Harry said. "You made a very good impression on a lot of witches and wizards today. I also saw a second Hit Wizard on the steps of Gringotts just before we left so at least two of your brethren came to the Alley as well today."

The beautiful woman smiled and his heart skipped a beat. "Bout time they got off there asses. Pepper up, dear. I need to eat before heading off to bed." Marlene said after a minute. "Oh, never mind I'm in my bed."

Daphne hung the robe in her aunt's wardrobe and then opened a small trunk beside it. She shifted through several drawers before pulling out the potion.

Harry helped hold Marlene up so she could drink the vile concoction. Once steam was pouring from her ears she was able to sit on her own so the teens retreated. Daphne to put the vial in a different drawer and then close the trunk and Harry to sit at the foot of the bed.

"I need to be more careful." Marlene said before either of them could. "Thank you for getting me out of that robe. It doesn't have its own magic and has to use mine to power it. I haven't spent that long in it in years. Though I guess I should practice more, and take breaks to eat every few hours."

"Yes." Harry said. "You're no use to us if you pass out in a fight."

Marlene laughed, a short un-humorous thing. "Yes, agreed. Tomorrow we will start on your introduction to real combat. After I've recovered, I hear there is a dueling chamber in the basement."

"Let's see about dinner." Daphne said and pulled Harry from the room.

After the purchases were sorted out the group gathered in the kitchen of the Black ancestral home for a late meal. Except there seemed to be no one in the house to prepare it.

Mrs. Weasley had not returned, so Harry called for Dobby, instead a different house elf appeared. "Butt sniffing young master called?"

"Um." Harry said.

"Butt sniffing young master can't even speak." The decrepit thing said with a crooked smile.

"What?" Harry said.

"Kreature!" Sirius barked from the doorway, he had to lean on the frame as he was clearly drunk again. They were unsure just where he'd been hiding as they hadn't heard or seen anyone since their return half an hour ago, not even the twins had disturbed the silence of the house.

"Cock sucking old master is mad and drunk, oh glorious day." The being said and danced a quick step before vanishing in a loud crack.

"What the hell was that?" Harry said in shock.

"A very insane house elf." Marlene said sadly. "Or were you referring to the man who can't stay sober even with a locked alcohol cabinet in the house?"

"Who you think is drunk? And I'm not insane!" Sirius said. "Or is it the other way around? I'll ask mum. Mum, am I the cock sucker or butt sniffer again?" He walked back into the Parlor and closed the kitchen door. His mother started yelling obscenities though Sirius seemed to not care at the moment.

Harry and Hermione looked after him in confusion. "Guess, I'll make dinner then." He said, heading to the magical cooker.

"Not without help." Hermione said and went to the nearest cabinet to start building an inventory in her mind.

}-{

Nearly an hour later, the house had again grown silent, the twins had set the table and complimented Ginny on her new clothes. Marlene had grown silent, she was the first to be served and dug into the massive platter that Harry sat before her. She'd skipped lunch like they all had, but she hadn't even had the ice cream and had been pushing her magic the whole nine hours they'd been out of the house.

Sirius kept glancing between the exhausted woman and his godson, but even drunk he appeared to decide to hold his tongue.

Shortly after they were all digging in, the front doorbell rang.

"Merlin!" Sirius yelled and stumbled from the table into the parlor, just as a string of obscenities started.

"Who dares befoul the Most Ancient and Noble house of Black? You cock sucking failure. I disowned you! Get your corruption—"

The words were abruptly cut off as Sirius did something. "And once again we are blessed by the dulcet tones of Lord Black's caring mother." Marlene commented as the front door banged open.

"Perhaps I should speak with her?" Daphne said and continued when everyone looked at her in shock. "I am pureblood, from precisely the families and the reputations, that she professes to support. I'm hoping she will calm down when she realizes my children could be the future of the family."

They didn't get a chance to think about that as Sirius started yelling. "Nymphadora, I've told you to just come inside. Why do you have to wake my mother?" The portrait once again woke.

"Foul creatures will not be tolerated in this noble—" The cursing was cut off by a sudden bang.

In the absolute silence that followed they heard people walking to the kitchen door. Harry stood, drawing his wand, which prompted everyone else to do the same.

Nym opened the door first and froze at the sight. Remus, his head turned to look over his shoulder, walked into her, she wavered on the brink of falling and then Sirius ran into them both. He had been walking backwards, his wand still pointed at his mother's portrait.

The twins started laughing before the train wreck had even hit the floor.

Marlene snatched the girl out from under the impending impact of the two grown men with a quick spell. In an instant Sirius fell on top of Remus, their legs tangling and their breath being knocked from them. Nym was lying on the floor having flown far enough to see the men crash together.

Using her magic brought Marlene to one knee and Harry immediately moved to help her back into her seat.

"Wow." Nym said, leaning on her elbow as though she did this sort of thing all the time. "Come here often?" she said with a giggle, batting her lashes at her savior, and then got to her feet to help untangle the Marauders.

"So, we have dinner ready." Harry said, while Daphne took over helping her aunt back into her chair to finish her food. "Though we made breakfast since we couldn't find a lot of the ingredients."

"When is our mum coming back?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, we really miss her cooking." George added.

"Cook breakfast for yourselves then." Ginny said back to them very quickly.

"Don't miss her enough to try and mimic her." One of them said.

"Now you see here Fred, I mean George, oh, would you just stop it and clean up this mess!" One of them tried to mimic their mother's voice.

Ginny pointed her wand at the second twin. "George, shut it." When the other twin opened his mouth her wand shifted to him and he snapped it shut. The twins went back to eating the eggs their sister had helped prepare.

"You know Harry. If you tire them out so fast, you should pursue younger witches like Nymmie here." Sirius said when they were all sitting at the table, the newly arrived adults working on the left overs.

Ginny wasn't the only one to gasp.

"Bad Padfoot!" Hermione said and a quick jab with her wand caused a rolled up newspaper to appear and smack him over the head twice.

Sirius seemed fairly dazed by the impact, but Hermione kept talking regardless. "Miss McKinnon is exhausted from guarding us all day with her Hit Witch robe active and skipping lunch. I dare say such a thing would have killed you!"

"But." The stunned Marauder said, holding his head.

"Uncle." Nymphadora said sharply to gain his attention. "You do not have permission to meddle in my love life. I already have a mother."

"Um…" He said "Sorry, I think I better head to bed. Moony, search the house, I don't remember just where I found that bottle of Fire Whiskey."

Once his footsteps had faded above them Remus spoke up. "Harry, I spent several hours at the Ministry with Dumbledore. Apparently the underage magic charge is not going to be dismissed. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you better news."

"Tough break Harrykins." One of the twins said.

"Is there a trial?" Hermione asked, both of her hands gripping one of Harry's.

"Not that we could determine, but it's likely." Remus said.

Marlene stood first, put her hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm heading up to bed, we'll discuss this tomorrow."

"I'll come help you." Daphne said, quickly getting to her feet.

Marlene gave another soft squeeze of his shoulder, nodded to her niece and headed upstairs.

"Guess we better get to bed too." One of the twins said, a bit eagerly and they headed out the door.

"Sorry about him." Nym said. "Mum thinks he's not really in this decade. He called you James a few times when she was talking to him. She helped him stop that, but he's not right in the head."

"At least he isn't calling me Lily." Ginny said softly looking at her plate.

"As though my parents were never killed?"

Nymphadora shrugged, "Mum's the healer."

"Can you ask her to find a mind healer for him?" Hermione asked.

A scream, from upstairs, rent the silence of the house and the Black Ancestral Manor shook as it had the previous night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Harry's magic pulled him from his chair and he was again running upstairs before he realized it.

He met Sirius stumbling downward from his rooms on the top floor on the landing of the fourth. There they found the Weasley twins, naked, tarred and feathered. Their heads appeared to have been transfigured into blocks of wood without eyes. The whole area stank of hot tar. Except for the fact they were screaming in terror they were immobilized by a beam of magic coming from the Black crest over the Heir suite.

Daphne was standing by her aunt's door, completely nude except for her Hit Witch Apprentice stole, which was nearly sufficient to cover her top, but left most of her bare. Her eyes were actually glowing green as she cast yet another curse at the twins, a beaters bat appeared in front of each of them and slammed up into their groins, lifting them from the ground and causing them to howl in renewed pain.

Harry stood there in shock for a second before scooping up his Betrothed and carrying her into their suite. Her bare flesh, and the massive amount of magic she was throwing around, made his entire body tingle, but he managed to get her to the closet and pull a robe around her.

"Stay here." He told her, making sure she was actually looking at him. When the green tint faded from her eyes and she only gave him a watery look, he couldn't leave her and instead hugged her tightly.

Then Hermione was there, joining their hug and pushing Harry out of the way. "Get them out of this house, or we're leaving." She told him.

With something productive to do, Harry gave both of them a quick kiss on the cheek and ran back to the landing.

He found the adults all standing around arguing about the twins. Ginny was huddled behind the still exhausted Hit Witch. The magic from the Black Crest had stopped, leaving the boys moaning on the ground.

"I want all Weasley's banned from this house!" He said, breaking into the argument as to what to do.

"Harry!" Marlene said sharply, her arm tightening on the suddenly terrified ginger beside her as the Black Crest glowed again.

"My Ward is permitted," he amended himself quickly. "In the last two days, each of my ladies has been assaulted in this house by a Weasley. Consort Potter has declared that we will seek safer accommodations if this is not done. We'd be safer at Malfoy Manor!"

"I, can't do that Harry." Sirius said slowly, the Black Crest going dark. "Four of them are in the Order and this is where they meet." He explained quickly, raising his hands.

"Lord Potter," Marlene said, calling their attention to her.

Ginny had gone into Marlene's room and pushed one of the chairs out for the exhausted woman to sit in. The scraping of it across the wooden floor caused everyone to pause and watch her. When she stepped out of the bedroom, the doorway flashed white and her clothes vanished.

Like them all, she stood there for a second in shock, then picked up her wand where it was clattering on the floor and yelled. "Those were the first new clothes I ever owned!" Her wand flashed and her famous bat-bogie hex hit first one twin and then the other.

Since their heads were wood, great gobs of sap stretched from their noses and then shifted into bat shaped sap, which then began to peck at their heads.

Marlene grabbed Ginny, spun her away from everyone else, and hugged her into her room, closing the door with a flick of her foot.

The slamming door managed to break the rest of them from their shock.

Nymphadora drew her wand and inspected the doorway, she cast a few spells and then poked two places along each side causing another flash of the entire doorway. Two piles of clothes materialized and fell to the floor.

She stepped back, looking down at her own clothes, which were still in place. "Dispelled it." She said in satisfaction before turning back to the twins. "You're really a nasty bit of work for a pair of sixteen year olds. I bet you'll be in Azkaban shortly after your seventeenth birthday at this rate."

Marlene's door opened. Ginny was dressed in a too-long yellow bathrobe and blushing brightly as she hugged the garment to herself tightly.

"I've dispelled it." Nymphadora told them, and then stepped into the doorway and back out, when nothing happened, Marlene nodded.

Ginny helped Marlene walk out and sit in the chair she'd pushed out earlier. The Hit Witch held her hand. "Auror Tonks, have you received your obliviation license?"

"Yes Ma'am?" Nymphadora said crisply.

Harry noticed a look of surprise on Ginny's face at that.

"Obliviate all males in this house, except Lord Potter, of the details of his Betrothed's and his Ward's nude bodies. They are to remember the incident and their parts in it. Make sure your Auror signature is in that spell, I don't want some mind healer unlocking it, thinking they had been assaulted. You may reverse the transfiguration on the twins to accomplish this."

"Yes, Ma'am." Nymphadora said and turned first to her cousin.

"Well Harry, she's gorgeous, at least I'll remember that fact. I consent to this." He said the last firmly, looking at the house crest and then met his cousin's eyes.

"Obliviate!" The Auror cast and delicately altered his memory.

"Nym, please remove my memory of Ginny's body. Unless, and until our relationship evolves it's not right for me to have this in my head." Harry said as she moved to deal with the twins. He glanced at Ginny who gave him a friendly smile in thanks.

"Of course Lord Potter." She said and paused in front of him. "Obliviate!" she cast and the pinched expression on his face relaxed.

"Thanks." He said, blinking, it was definably a weird sensation to have a memory suddenly gone.

She then turned her attention to Remus who didn't flinch as she repeated the spell on him.

Finally she stunned the twins, canceled the transfiguration on them, returning their heads to normal and dispelling the sap-bats. Unfortunately she found herself unable to cancel the tar or feathers.

Remus knelt beside one of them and propped his head up, and then held his eyes open for her to obliviate him. They then moved on to the other twin and repeated the process.

"Now, Auror." Marlene said calling everyone's attention to herself again. "You are to return them to their parent's home. With their belongings, and inform their parents that the next time they are caught in a criminal act they will be prosecuted."

"Very well Ma'am." Nymphadora said.

"I'll give her a hand." Remus said, levitating the boys down the stairs before anyone could challenge his offer.

"I don't know what to say Harry." Sirius said, looking tired. "I had such hopes for you staying with me."

"I'll ask my ladies what they want to do." Harry said turning back to Sirius.

"We can move to Castle McKinnon. If that pleases you and your ladies?" Marlene said.

"Thank you." Harry said, picked up Daphne's clothes, including her daggers and spare wands, before heading into his suite.

}-{

Crookshanks and the black kitten he still didn't know the name of, were sitting a few feet inside the room, watching the door as though they were guard dogs. Hedwig had somehow entered the suite and was asleep on the perch near the window.

The girls were snuggled in his bed, they had changed into thick nightgowns. Hermione was cradling her lover to her breast and slowly running her fingers through her hair, while she cried softly.

He placed the pile of clothes on Daphne's bed and then changed himself, choosing to wear a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt before standing at the end of the bed to catch Hermione's attention.

When she looked up at him he pointed at either side of them and then shrugged.

She pointed behind herself and he slid into bed where she indicated. He placed a hand on Daphne's shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze while he pushed some of his magic into her.

"Thank you, Harry." Daphne said clearly, but kept her eyes closed. "I'm sorry they managed to do that to me."

"Nothing to worry about. Nym obliviated your appearance from Sirius and the twin's minds, then she and Remus took the twins back to the Burrow."

"But I'm still in your head." Daphne said.

"Yes, but you're mine. And I do claim you as such." He said, causing his magic to surge a bit stronger, though still fairly controlled.

"Thank you." The blonde said and snuggled tighter into Hermione's arms, her tears finally abating.

The brilliant brunette turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Good boy, too bad you'll have to wait for your reward. Tonight was supposed to be a lot more fun."

Harry fell asleep to the image still in his mind of his Betrothed and how hot she looked when she was pissed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Harry woke slowly, comfortably warm and surrounded by the magic of those he trusted.

"Morning love." Hermione said and cast the mouth cleaning charm on him, and then a spell that relieved his full bladder.

Before he could even open his eyes in surprise Daphne wrapped him in a tight, but not stifling embrace and lay her head on his shoulder so she could slowly kiss his neck. Each kiss sent a very gentle burst of her magic into him.

His witch's lover had slipped past his resistance and he gladly accepted this gift from her. She wore his ring and would one day be his wife, there was no reason to push her away, unless Hermione wished it, but she had instead made every effort to help them get to this point.

Hermione helped him sit up and then removed his shirt, shushing him when he began to protest. Daphne hesitated before sliding her hands down his sides and delicately over his scarred back. The gentle kisses to his neck moved up to just under his ear and grew longer, slower, with a much greater flow of her magic. As her gentle touch lingered on one of his scars hot tears dripped onto his shoulder.

"Has anyone tried to heal these?" She whispered into his jaw.

"No," he managed to push out through his tight throat.

"We shall, and House Black demands vengeance." The intensity of her statement was accompanied by a wave of magic that went straight to his cock.

"Not yet Daph." Hermione said gently and directed him to lie on the bed, with Daphne's help, she laid him down and they cuddled tightly into his sides. This left them each with only one arm, as their other was folded to hold their heads up.

"Everything will be ok love." Hermione said, her hand easing into his pants to straighten out his folded member, not pushing him to remove his pants. Once it was no longer causing him pain she withdrew her hand and traced lazy patterns on his stomach.

Though the blonde was well aware of her lover's actions she kept her attention on his face and her free hand in the short hairs of his chest. "I'll not leave your side." Daphne said. "It is my right to be with you throughout the trial." Her hand met Hermione's and their fingers intertwined before pressing lightly on his stomach.

He was rather surprised at the sudden shift in topic, if anything he'd expected questions about the previous night. "Thank you." He said and then remembered something that seemed to happen days ago. "Before we went to Gringotts I was talking to Marlene. She was using a mirror to speak with Madam Bones, the head of magical law enforcement. She, Madam Bones that is, said that Marlene would tear apart the charges if Fudge forced a trial."

"That's really good news." Hermione said.

"Well." Daphne said and hesitated to continue but did after a moment. "It means she will have to reveal her identity. It's one of the reasons their War Robes conceal them. Kind of like if you could remove your scar so no one recognized you. Once she's known the criminals might attack her because she's a Hit Witch."

"Yeah, it would be great not to be known." Harry said and hugged both girls for a moment. "Will she lose her job over it?"

"No, but she might quit anyway." Daphne said, her hair tickling his arm as she did so, making him twitch. "She will need more freedom to go after Death Eaters than she has now."

"Will what's in her vault help her?" Hermione asked.

In a soft voice, just above a whisper, she answered. "My grandfather, Aunt M's father, was killed by Voldemort shortly before his downfall. The destruction they caused in that fight was immense. There used to be a second wizard village, like Hogsmeade, called Oakwallow, it no longer exists. Though grandpa was killed he did hurt the Dark Lord, no one reported seeing him for almost a month. Anyway grandpa willed everything to Aunt M. The McKinnons have long fought against the Dark. I have knights of the Round Table, among my ancestors. Like Potter, Bones and Longbottom, they have been among the families every Dark Lord or Lady tries to destroy first. As such our lines have suffered greatly."

"And Marlene is the very last to bear that name?" Hermione asked with a strange tremble in her voice.

"She is." Daphne said. "As Harry is the last Potter."

"Do you know what's in the vault?" Harry asked after they lay there quietly for a few minutes. Hermione was dragging Daphne's finger around on his chest.

Daphne shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was said that grandpa's robes were actual battlemage ones from long ago, I don't know if it survived the battle that took his life. Whatever it is, it seemed to be sentient the way the Overlord spoke of it. Aunt M. was only sixteen at the time and decided to seal it in the family vault until later. I don't know why."

As they lay there cuddling he drifted off, waking later when Daphne levered herself up to sit beside him and pulled her nightgown off over her head. She blushed a bit as Harry's attention immediately focused on her, Hermione helped lift his head by moving her arm under it and putting his glasses so he could see quite clearly.

"We don't want to push you too far love." Hermione said as Daphne sat topless on their bed. "But we will move forward."

Her blush reached nearly to the top of her gorgeous breasts and he was instantly fascinated by them. They were very similar to Hermione's as such things are meant to be, but slightly different in shape and color. Daphne's breasts were higher on her chest, and a bit smaller while her nipples were a healthy pink.

"I figured you have a memory of the bottom half, you ought to see the top as well."

In spite of the distractions in front of him he felt anger and that brought a scowl to his face. "That's not right, you should put your shirt back on." He said.

She looked as though he'd slapped her and Hermione hissed, "Harry!"

Daphne turned to climb from the bed, but Hermione caught her in a tight hug, "He didn't mean it like that." She said into her ear, looking angrily at him.

"He said it Mine. I heard him. He doesn't want me. I knew there wouldn't be room for me. Like Aunt M. I'll just fight until I die." The Ice Queen said into her lover's shoulder, each like a blow to him. Her sobs were nearly silent and so reminiscent of his own from the cupboard under the stairs that he flashed back to when he was six and had been thrown in there by his uncle.

"I'm sorry." He said automatically, his chest felt like a Horntail had stepped on him. How could it have gone from hugging and kissing to this?

"Explain yourself to her Harry. If I do it she'll think you're just going along with what I say to make her happy. But if this is the way you want it then so be it." Hermione's voice was not the usual warm and caring tone, this was far colder and he could tell he'd hurt her as well. She was truly in love with Daphne, she never lied to him so that was a fact he had to adjust to.

He suddenly felt like his entire future rested on this moment. Yet there was a part of him that felt this was what would always happen, he was meant to be alone, to die alone. It was hard to breathe and he felt dizzy, his world revolved around Hermione. But maybe that was where the problem was, he hadn't really believed that she was really in love with someone else, it was just something to get him to go along with a three way relationship. What if it was the other way around? What if they needed one another as much as he needed Hermione? Oh Merlin…

He looked into Hermione's chocolate brown eyes, eyes that told him so much, now all he saw was her pain, pain he'd caused.

"I'm sorry Daphne." He said a bit firmer than he thought, but kept his eyes locked with Hermione's. "I was angry about what happened to you last night. I felt you were acting just because of the cruel thing the twins did to you and Ginny. I didn't want you to feel obligated. I felt this was too soon and you were not ready. But I am not your master, nor am I Hermione's. What she has given me is far more precious to me than my own life. It's hard for me to imagine you want to do the same."

While he was talking Daphne had turned her head to face him, she was still tucked tightly in Hermione's embrace and it didn't look like the brunette would ever release her. He realized then that even if he did not accept Daphne into his life she was a permanent part of Hermione's.

"I'm not happy with anyone trying to control my life." She whispered bitterly. "That was what my father always tried to do. But I love Mine, and will do anything to be with her for the rest of my life."

"And I her." Hermione said.

"I was ready that first night." Daphne whispered with a sigh, she took a trembling breath and then grew calm in an instant. "I have no reservations about giving myself to you. She trusts you, therefore I do. I do not want to be like my Aunt, she's never found someone she can trust and love."

"I want us to be together." Hermione said and turned the girl in her arms back to Harry. "Are we good?" She asked him.

That pain in his chest was back, she should never have to ask him that. "Yes, of course." His arms came up and the girls fell atop him, pushing him back on the bed, all of them crying in relief.

It was several minutes later when they calmed down. Daphne was pressed tightly against his chest, her breasts squashed up against him. "I'm going to kiss you, and Mine is going to fuck you, after that I want you to fuck me, is that alright?" She asked, her face hovering over his. When he nodded she slowly brought her freshly painted lips down to mate with his.

He hardly dared move, except to keep his lips with hers. Both of their mouths were slightly open as they gradually learned one another. Harry's arms came up, but he hesitated to wrap them around her slim torso.

"I want this." She said into his mouth. "Touch me." And her lips became more insistent, tongue snaking between his lips to brush against his.

Daphne moved herself further up his torso until her breasts were beside his head and they could no longer kiss. Then Hermione tugged his sweatpants and boxers off, freeing him at last. It didn't take long for her to strip and straddle his hips to take him into herself.

His new lover shifted to the side, brushing her breast and nipples across his cheeks and over his mouth. He latched on, on her second pass. She stilled, placed one of her arms along the bed to support herself while her free hand removed his glasses and then caressed his cheek.

He'd hardly dared imagine what being with two girls would be like. What he had thought, was not nearly as good as this. And he'd nearly destroyed it by not thinking. Hermione loved having his mouth on her, especially when he used Parseltongue. Unfortunately he still had to close his eyes for this, though she had threatened to get a snake tattooed on her bare pubic mound.

His magic surged into his Slytherin lady, making her cry out briefly in surprise at the sudden sensation. She welcomed it, pressing herself down onto him a bit harder, but aware he needed to breathe around her smothering flesh.

Daphne was startled when he hissed, her nipple was drawn taught in his mouth, the most intense pleasure she'd ever imagined went through her body. She couldn't breathe for a moment and it was fortunate that he was holding her firmly or she would have shifted violently at the sensation.

"Good girl Daph." Hermione said from behind her. She pulled the blonde's red silk panties to the side and slid her long fingers along the wet slit, pausing as she reached the nub to pinch it. "Now give him your other teat." She punctuated the order by working three of her fingers into Daphne's dripping cunt.

Daphne shifted her torso to bring her other breast to his mouth.

Hermione started working Harry to his culmination, leaning back to reach her other hand down to tickle his balls with her nails, while hooking her fingers to anchor her to the blonde. His magic was causing their hair, to float as though affected by static electricity.

She shivered in her own pleasure and flicked her head to get her hair out of her eyes, then focused her attention on moving faster, squeezing him on each stroke. The fingers of her right hand, buried in Daphne, were fucking the blonde fairly hard as she bounced on him. She twisted her arm a bit farther and was able to get her thumb over her lover's clit and pressed on it.

Harry just managed to repeat his Parseltongue performance on Daphne's other nipple and he erupted up into his Consort.

The three of them lay there, each recovering from their own peak. Hermione was first, slipping her fingers free of the sopping hole and licking them clean before sliding down on the bed and using her wand to clean them off.

Daphne rolled onto her back, her panties pulled tight along the side of her cunt, leaving the dripping slit bare. It would take the blonde a while to recover from her first encounter with Harry's talented tongue.

The fabled Ice Queen was a hot, sweaty, dazed pile of goo. It was one of the hottest things he'd ever imagined in his life, and with Hermione Granger as his lover, that was fairly amazing even to him.

The sight of her got him hard again, causing Hermione to giggle at his own dazed expression. "Go on, make my lover yours. She's all ready, maybe a bit too ready, but don't worry about hurting her. I claimed that last year."

"How?" He said, rather confused and his cock began to deflate as he was distracted.

"No." Hermione said, wrapping her fingers around his shaft making it spring back to life. "Later." She said firmly and kissed him roughly.

That had initially been a surprise, she liked it a bit rough in bed. And Merlin the things she came up with to try!

"Hareee." Daphne whined, grabbing his arm. "My turn Mine…"

"Are you sure Daph?" Harry asked her.

She gave him a lazy grin and struggled to remove her mangled panties. When she was completely nude she spread herself open him and dipped a long, red tipped finger inside herself. It then went deep into her mouth and she sucked it clean. "Yep, I'm ready and delicious."

He was over her a moment later and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His cock slid around as she initially tried to help. When she kept her hips still he slid into her, causing them both to freeze a moment at the perfection of it all. And then he started moving while she tried to learn how to move her hips.

"Oh, Daph." Hermione said, knee-walking around them on the bed. "Remember all those presents I gave you last year? I've got another one ready for you."

"I'm hungry, give it here."

"What?" Harry said, slowing in his fucking of this wonderful new cunt.

"Almost every time, after you and I had sex, I'd meet Daph and have her clean me out." Hermione said in her soft husky voice.

"Oh, I felt him grow." Daphne said with a grin. She pulled him down for another kiss and then pushed his chest up until he was sitting between her splayed legs.

"Put her legs on your shoulders Harry." Hermione said and squatted over Daphne's face.

The blonde eagerly reached her tongue up and went to work, wrapping her arms around Hermione's thighs.

Hermione grinned and moved Harry's hands to grope her. "Isn't she just the perfect witch? You know I claimed her back in third year, fuck her perfect cunt. Make her yours." She moaned into his ear, making him wild.

When he was getting close she snaked her hand between them to pinch one of Daphne's hard nipples. "She's got another talent you're just going to love."

He could only manage a grunt, lost as he was.

"Do it!" She said, pulling up on the nipple until it slipped from her grip.

The subsequent sibilant speech that came from below them sent Hermione to entirely new heights of pleasure. The magic she pushed into them brought both to their end as well.

Harry froze for a few seconds, every muscle in his body seemed to be clenching at once, then he collapsed to the side, taking the girls with him. He lay there panting as Hermione struggled to move, even as she experienced after shocks.

"You're a Parselmouth?" He asked when he got his breath back.

Daphne was busy wiping her face with the sheet, but nodded and answered him a moment later. "It's hereditary to the McKinnon line."

"So, her aunt has it as well." Hermione said and then dug her tongue into Daphne's dripping cunt to scoop out Harry's seed as he lay there stunned at the sight.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Harry leaned on his elbow, fixing his glasses again. "That was perfect. Wow, that's a better view." He said, staring between Daphne's splayed legs as Hermione's tongue continued to scoop and swirl.

"She's delicious too." Hermione purred and then dove back into her work.

His stomach grumbled. He leaned down and kissed Daphne slowly. "Thank you. I'll start the shower for us, join me."

"Yes," She smiled lazily at him, her fingers twisting in Hermione's long hair.

The clock on the mantle showed it was already eight and his stomach grumbled again. He was in the shower before even the magically heated water could reach the proper temperature.

Just before he gave up and turned the water off, his ladies slipped into it with him. Daphne closest, he didn't have his glasses on of course so he couldn't see any details, but he could fill those in with what he'd seen on the bed.

His godfather was right, she was gorgeous and Harry was a lucky bloke.

"Morning." He said officially kissing Daphne's lips before giving her a quick hug and turning so she was under the water and he was between them. When she moved her arms from him to get her suddenly wet hair out of her eyes, he released her to grab the soap and start working on her trim, athletic body.

"Hmmm." She groaned. "Mine, you didn't tell me he helped wash."

"Never has." Hermione said, taking the bar from him and lathering up his back, since she knew he hadn't touched it with more than cascading water.

"Oh, I like that." He said, leaning forward to kiss Daphne who was getting her long blonde mane thoroughly wet.

"Like soaping up my wet boobies?" She said with a giggle.

"Well that too, I meant Mine scrubbing my back."

"But I got the kiss!" She sang making them all laugh.

Harry turned to Hermione and picked her up as he had Daphne, a moment later and he was now the farthest from the water. "I need contacts!" he said jokingly causing them both to laugh.

With a broad grin on his face he slipped out of the shower to dry off. "Really I do." He said again, eliciting another laugh from them. "It would be much better than having to constantly find my glasses if I fall."

"Harry." Hermione said, speaking up over the water. "We will not hide from you, you can look at us all you want. But yes, that sounds like a good idea."

"There are magical ones, but they're very expensive." Daphne said as he finished drying off.

"Expensive for me or for most people?"

"Most people," his Slytherin said with a laugh.

"Perhaps we should all get a pair, to let us see in the dark." Hermione added.

"I'm getting dressed for breakfast." He said and left them in the shower. Life was good for Harry Potter, he thought to himself.

}-{

Remus, Ginny and Marlene were in the kitchen when they arrived. The tall woman had tea going and Ginny had found several varieties of marmalade. Everyone settled for a bowl of cereal or toast with marmalade. Remus was mostly done with the paper and passed it to them when they sat.

The Daily Prophet barely mentioned him or his girls. They were page 2 material, while the two Hit Wizards and Witch in Diagon Alley was all over the front page. Apparently the one Harry had seen as they left was giving an interview. His message echoed Marlene's, they were there to keep everyone safe and bring the criminals to justice. He added that many times in the past if the citizens in question had fought back, instead of running, then a lot of the destruction would have been prevented.

"Luc always pushes a little too far." Marlene said and shook her head.

"Why is that a bad idea?" Harry asked.

"Because they are sheep." Daphne said quickly.

"Most of them." Marlene said. "They follow the crowd and don't care enough to think for themselves. It's why they rely on our four families to defend them against the darkest evils."

"What about Dumbledore? Didn't he stop Grindlewald?" Hermione asked and received a brief glare from the Hit Witch.

"Dumbledore helped create that monster. It was his duty to destroy him. Though my father, along with Charlus Potter, were also heavily involved in that war. Grindlewald killed my older brother in the same battle that Dumbledore finally beat him in."

"Oh." Hermione said and looked at her plate.

"I am not angry with you Hermione." Marlene said, "But it is an example where there were just not enough wands willing to do the right thing. Most of the wizard populous hid or moved out of the conflict."

Nymphadora came into the room, surprisingly not disturbing the portrait in the entrance. "Oh, good I found you. Since my uncle is still sleeping I need to tell you this now." She said pouring herself a cup of scalding tea. "When I obliviated him last night it was far too easy. Either he's been hit with them repeatedly for the last few weeks, or he was really damaged by Azkaban."

"Either way he needs a mind healer soon." Marlene said.

"My mum did a lot of work with him last month, she won't really tell me anything but I'll mention it to her. After Remus and I delivered the twins, we talked to Arthur. He was really shocked and then bound all but ten percent of their magic, just enough to keep them alive. He refused to clean them, instead shoving them out into the night and yelling about the pond."

"Wow, I've never heard him actually berate his children." Harry said.

Daphne noticed Ginny bite her lip and then withdraw into herself further.

Remus shrugged. "It seemed like Molly wanted to help them, she had her wand out, but wasn't willing to do it in front of her husband or us."

Since Daphne was observing Ginny she saw her flinch at that statement and resolved to sit the girl down later to discover what was going on.

}-{

The training room was a long chamber, runes were etched into slate tiles that covered every surface. It was about ten meters by twenty. Harry had expected weapons racks or targets, something other than an empty room.

"These runes prevent spells from destroying the walls or even the house above us." Marlene said.

Harry had watched her carefully, but she showed no signs of problems from her fatigue the previous day.

"We'll start with a little target practice to warm up." Marlene said and waved her wand at the far end. Four archery targets appeared, suspended in midair, about chest height to an average man. "Piercing hexes please, each of us take three shots and we'll go compare them."

The hex itself was very simple and effective. It was the magical equivalent to a bullet, though without the kinetic force. It essentially disintegrated a small amount of matter, whether it be stone, earth, or flesh.

Marlene stilled herself and her wand came up. She deliberately said the words to the spell and quickly fired a trio at her target.

Hermione fired one, then another and paused.

Harry shrugged and fired three of them rapidly at the target.

"Is everyone done?" Marlene asked.

"Yes." Harry said while Hermione cast her final spell and Daphne said she was done, though he hadn't heard anything from her.

They walked to the targets, Harry immediately realized he had completely missed with two of the spells, while the third had blown a hole in it near the center. Two of Hermione's spells were in the central ring, though neither went completely through the target. Her third shot seemed to have missed completely or had been so underpowered as to not be noticeable.

Marlene had a fairly equally spaced triangle in the precise center, while Daphne had a larger hole in the middle of hers.

"So, Hermione needs to work on the strength of her spells, and Harry needs to focus on his aim. My spells are where I wanted them, and Daphne continues to impress me. Three spells placed so tightly together they form a single larger hole."

Marlene waved her wand, two of the targets moved to the other end of the room and all four of them were repaired. "Hermione, I will work with you on your focus. Daphne, take Harry to the other end, four or five meters from the target and work on his aim."

"Sure." Daphne said and hooked her arm with his to move him into the middle of the dueling chamber. "Something's up with Ginny." She said to him as they walked closely together.

"What?"

"Not sure, I caught her looking thoughtful, concerned and surprised when Nym and Remmy were discussing what happened at The Burrow last night."

He was a bit surprised at her strange name for Remus, but decided it wasn't worth asking about. "You know I saw a weird look on her face while we were discussing what to do about her brothers."

"Let me try and talk to her later, she did ask for some lessons. I'll let you know if she won't explain it to me."

"Sure." He said moving his arm around her slim shoulders. "So how did you aim so well with your spells?" he asked his betrothed a minute later.

"Practice." She said with a cheeky grin and then turned to face him properly. "It doesn't really matter how much you overpower your spells, and you do that a lot, if they can't hit your target you're wasting your strength. Now better glasses might help you, and we'll get that taken care of soon, but for now, think about it this way. Just before you cast a spell, let out your breath, that will help you become still, then release your magic. Go on, cast a few while I watch."

Well that didn't sound too difficult and they were much closer than the first attempt. Before he cast the Slytherin Ice Queen stood in front of him and repositioned him, first turning his shoulders to they pointed at the target and then fixing his hips and feet. "That's different."

"Yeah," she said with a nod, "It gives your opponent the smallest target to aim at, and allows you the greatest range of motion. Give it a go."

}-{

"Hermione," Marlene said when they were alone. "I know you don't feel like you're any good in a fight, but your magic is stronger than mine."

"So what's wrong?" Hermione asked, her intelligent eyes looking up into the tall woman's brilliant blue ones.

"What you lack is the will to do harm." The Hit Witch answered softly. "You do not want to hurt others. But, you must overcome this, or good people will die. These self-serving sanctimonious bastards want us under them for their pleasure, only after they tire of us will they kill us."

"I know." Hermione said, her gaze dropping.

"It will not be a clean death, they will torture us, cut off pieces of us, until their healing spells just won't let us scream for them any longer. Once we're dead, they'll torture Harry and then kill him." She knew she was playing a dangerous game, but it was one she'd played with recruits in the past. She had to succeed here, or she feared they would all fall.

"I've read some of the reports, are they real?" Hermione asked, beginning to tremble.

Marlene wrapped her arm around the brilliant girl's shoulders. "They are far worse than what is published. I do not expect to live, all of my line is gone. I shall make my ancestors proud and not die whimpering for mercy, which will surely not be granted."

"But someone…"

"Is me!" Marlene said with all of her considerable authority. She turned the young witch to face her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I am the last McKinnon, my family was sworn by the Crown to hunt evil more than a millennia ago. I am a Hit Witch, whose job is to catch those who support The Dark. **I am the someone** **that everyone expects to stand up to these bastards, and I shall.** "

"I just want to live with Harry and Daph."

"Yes, you deserve to be happy, and have Harry's children, these men want to stop that. But Malfoy would love to have any of us under him, knowing he was taking what was once Harry's."

"No!" Hermione said, her back straightening, magic flaring.

"I cannot do this alone, but none-the-less I will try until I no longer draw breath."

"You will not be alone!" The mate of The-Boy-Who-Lived declared. Her wand came up and a furious storm of her will shot from it. The target she had earlier failed to pierce vanished as the mass crashed into it. The magic continued into the ruined tiles of the wall, which were designed to absorb excess magic. Initially it looked like it would work as the storm vanished into the wall, but then most of the wall turned red, the ones where the magic had impacted shifted to white and cracked.

"Shield!" Daphne barked, casting her own spell from the other end of the chamber, between the wall, her lover and aunt.

Marlene summoned her dark-wood staff and knelt, her other hand shoving Hermione behind her. The ruby flared and a massive shield surrounded them as the tiles gave way, sending shards ricocheting around the room.

Harry dragged Daphne to the ground, shielding her with his body, and threw up a hasty shield of his own over them.

The chamber shook violently and the lights went out.

When the shaking stopped Harry, who was crushing the Ice Queen to his chest released her. "Are you ok?" he asked as she gasped for breath in his ear.

"Yes," she managed to say.

Harry scrambled to his feet and moved towards a red glow in the haze.

Daphne placed a bubble head charm over the two of them and then conjured several globes of light that floated around the chamber, revealing their surroundings.

Marlene's shield had held, though it had been forced to compress so the two it protected were intertwined.

When the Hit Witch saw Harry standing there, she dismissed the shield and then her staff as Harry hugged them both.

A bubble-head charm appeared over their heads as more light arrived at the top of the stairs. "What happened?" Sirius yelled and then started coughing as he inhaled the dust.

Marlene cast something and the dust collected into small balls that fell to the ground.

"I'm ok." Hermione said, standing on shaky feet and looking around in confusion. "What did I do?"

"You overloaded the protections." Marlene said and gave the surprised brunette a gentle hug. "Told you, you were strong enough." She said and brushed her fingertips across the girl's cheek.

"Harry!" Daphne yelled and grabbed his shirt to rip it from him, spinning him so she could see his back by one of her light globes. There was a gash along his right side, just under his shoulder blade. "You're hurt, stay still."

"Really?" he asked trying to look over his shoulder but she squeezed his shoulder harder and he froze.

"Accio shards." Daphne cast, dozens of tiny pieces of tile were pulled from the cut in his back. Blood started flowing freely from several places along the cut.

"Ouch, damn that hurt." He said and fell to one knee.

"Just a minute." Daphne said from behind him. "Vulnera Sanentur," she sang, drawing her wand down the wound, which immediately stopped bleeding and sucked the loose blood back into his body. She repeated the song-like incantation and again traced the wound with her wand causing the muscle and flesh to knit back together, she did it a third time and the scar virtually vanished. "There," she said and wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissing his cheek and crying.

Harry pulled her in front of him and kissed her properly as Hermione joined them on the floor.

"What in Merlin's name happened?" Sirius said after he stopped coughing.

"Our resident bookworm decided she's willing to actually use her magic." Marlene said softly, sitting on one of the steps and grinning at the trio.

"I thought the house was going to fall."

She shrugged, "At this rate it will. Your dueling room needed updating anyway. Slate is the worst material to absorb magic, now you can get it redone with sandstone much cheaper as the demolition work is done."

He laughed and headed upstairs, pushing Nymphadora ahead of him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Mr. Potter?" The Headmaster called from the top of the stairs. "Is everyone alright down there?"

"Yes. We're fine." Harry called while Hermione repaired his shirt and helped him get it tucked in quickly.

Daphne dispelled their bubble head charms and removed the dust from their clothes.

"We're coming up." Marlene said and led the group back into the kitchen. "We discovered that the magic absorbing tiles have deteriorated, since their original installation." She explained to the Headmaster when she reached the kitchen..

"You shouldn't be allowing them to use magic." He told her, not quite trying to give her an order.

"Headmaster." Harry said. "What's going on?"

Dumbledore ignored Harry to continue talking with Marlene. "Mr. Potter is under investigation for under age magic. It would be best if we could prove he has done nothing since the end of term."

"You and I both know that is a false accusation. We were sitting right here when it supposedly happened." Marlene said, clearly losing her patience with the old man's attitude.

"You are far too valuable—" The old man said.

"I well know my value to you." Marlene said bitterly, her magic spiking. "But my father wasn't strong enough, and neither were you. It took another Potter to do your job for you didn't it? Greatest wizard since Merlin my foot!"

Hermione moved behind the angry witch, while Daphne stepped beside her aunt.

Dumbledore removed his glasses and pinched his nose. "That is not my point." He said softly and put his glasses back on. "Madam Bones is aware of the false nature of the charges, but the Minister is using his authority to press this to trial."

"So there will be a trial?" Harry yelled, his magic demanding he move into the small space between them, brushing against Marlene as he did so.

A second later Hermione pulled Marlene a few feet back, away from the angry young wizard.

"Stop!" Daphne's cold voice rang out, and when there was silence she continued. "As the Lady of this house, and thus your Hostess, I will not allow a discussion of this import to take place in my kitchen."

The Headmaster was the first to recover after blinking at her several times. "Where shall we have this discussion, Mistress Black?" His tone was slightly condescending, but far more pleasant than a moment ago.

"We shall retire to the parlor, which is what the room is for." She answered immediately.

"But my mother." Sirius said.

"I shall speak with her." Daphne answered and continued as though she had planned this in detail days ago. "Hermione love, could you fashion the tea? With whatever finger foods you can locate? Just like our lessons… The rest of you will discuss nothing of more import than Quidditch or the weather."

"I'll help her." Ginny said quickly and went with Hermione to the cupboards.

Harry Potter was in awe of his new Lady. Just this morning she had been a pile of goo in his bed, then shown him some important issues with his spell casting, healed him from a potentially grave wound, and was now directing Elevenses for the Headmaster. No wonder Hermione had fallen for this wonderful woman, he wanted to drag her up to their room this instant.

"Well, I believe the Wasps have a fair chance of the cup this season." The Headmaster said. Sitting in the nearest chair and straightened his robe.

"Their Keeper really isn't all that good when Chasers get close." Remus said, "Now the Tornado's Keeper seems to be everywhere."

Harry wanted to help Hermione, but as 'Lord Potter' that was obviously not something he should do, so he looked to Sirius for clues, but he was busy staring after his Betrothed as she strode through the formal dining room and into the parlor. "Keep your eyes off her ass." Harry said instead.

The Headmaster laughed as did Nym and Marlene. Sirius turned to Harry and his mouth gaped open but he didn't manage to actually say anything.

Daphne verified quickly that her appearance was immaculate before confronting the portrait of the former Lady Black. The curtain seemed to resist her hand at first, but then the family magic identified her ring and it slid easily along the bar.

"Who dares disturb me?" Walburga asked.

"Lady Black, I am Daphne Deirdre Greengrass, Betrothed of Lord Black's HEIR." She said the last word firmly and clearly so there would be no confusion that she was going to marry Sirius!

Walburga stared at her in shock for a moment and then fell into a chair, her wild hair beginning to straighten itself. "Sirius has a son?"

"No my lady." Daphne said. "Lord Black has designated his Godson, who does carry blood of House Black in his veins, being the grandson of your own Aunt, Dorea Potter nee Black, as his Heir, unless he does beget children of his own."

Walburga stood quickly, "That would be the half-blood Potter boy."

"Yes, my Lord Potter." Daphne said sharply to prevent her from insulting Harry.

"Was it you the house deemed worthy of defending?"

Daphne gave a shallow curtsy before answering in a chilling icy voice. "Correct Lady Black. Twice I have been beset by young males of the Weasley family. In the first instance I shielded a minor hex and the wards turned the idiot into a giant slug! In the second I walked through a doorway that had been cursed by different boys, it vanished my clothes!"

"WHAT!"

"Yes, it did, fortunately I had my wand." Daphne continued, still in her icy calm voice. "That's when the wards restrained them, and I began cursing. Now you must understand I was a bit incensed."

"I would think so." The portrait said, entranced by the story.

"So first, I transfigured their heads into tree stumps, without eyes, and infested with bugs. Next I vanished their clothes, castrated them, magically of course, then tarred and feathered them. I think I summoned beaters bats to take out further frustration, but my Betrothed pulled me into the Heir Suite and I'm not quite sure what happened at the end."

"Oh you poor dear. So what punishment have they received?"

"Well apparently the boys were targeting my aunt, Marlene McKinnon, it was her room I was leaving. She is, um… influential in the D.M.L.E., and there was also an Auror in the house. Aunt Marlene had the memory of my nudity removed from the male's minds, except my Betrothed of course. But as to punishment? They were returned to their parent's home, where their magic was bound down to a mere ten percent by their father."

"Why were they not imprisoned?"

"First they were guests of Lord Black, and my 'punishment' is being considered sufficient, or they have yet to discover it, I am unsure. Secondly they are not of age. Aunt Marlene has warned their parents they will be arrested for the next incident, no matter how innocent it seems."

"He cannot offer to guest just anyone for that specific reason. I've been trying to tell my son that he needs help. That damned prison has harmed him, I fear beyond repair." Walburga said and started crying.

"We agree, and have enlisted Cousin Andromeda's help in securing a mind healer for him."

"Thank you, please have him speak with me."

Daphne gave another short curtsy, "Certainly, though it shall have to be soon, I fear we must abandon the house."

"Why?"

"We are unable to summon elves loyal to us, and the resident one merely issues insults and departs. We will have nothing to eat and a mountain of dirty clothes." Daphne lamented, slowly shaking her head in sorrow. She was fairly surprised at how easy the portrait was to manipulate.

"KREATURE!" Walburga shrieked.

"Mistress?" The crazy elf said and then saw Daphne. "What does butt sniff—"

"Shut it." Daphne said drawing her long dagger from her boot. "I am the Lady of this House and you will treat me as such. Any further insults and you will not hang on the wall with your honored ancestors!"

The house reacted immediately to her claim, the crest over the fireplace glowed and Daphne was briefly encompassed by the family magic. It retreated immediately, but then the whole house groaned, as though relaxing from a great weight being lifted.

"No." Kreature said, all fight evaporating at the firm commands from someone his magic wouldn't allow him to ignore.

"This house is a disgrace," Daphne continued. "Must I purchase new elves to do a proper job or will you perform your duty!"

"Kreature will serve the Noble Lady." He said, standing again, but not looking at Walburga's portrait.

"One must always be aware where our loyalties lie. We shall serve the lady of the house." Walburga said.

"What should Kreature be doing?"

"Start with cleaning this room, we are having tea and a discussion of some import. Then resupply the kitchen and prepare lunch. After we have eaten lunch, see me for your next instruction."

"Yes Mistress Black." The elf said and vanished.

"Well done Lady Black." Walburga said.

Daphne curtsied to the portrait. "I merely claim it by proxy at this time, though obviously it is sufficient for the wards to acknowledge me. Though, unless things change with your elder son, it will fall to me."

"If he is not too far into his whiskey, I would like to speak with him civilly."

"I believe he is currently sober, however I shall remain present to moderate. Is that acceptable?"

"It is."

"Then I must depart for now." Daphne said and walked towards the formal dining room, to find the doorway crowded by those trying to watch her interaction with the infamous portrait. She froze when she saw how astonished they were and laughed, a light glorious thing to Harry.

The sound broke them from their shock, Hermione pushed her way between Sirius and Harry, levitating the steaming tea service over their heads and onto the freshly polished table. Ginny followed in her wake, carrying a platter of hard tea biscuits.

When they were all in the Parlor, Daphne spoke to Sirius. "Your mother would like to have a conversation with you, while you are sober. I will be present to moderate. After we are done here however."

"Um, yes." Sirius said. "How did you do that?"

"By acting as I was taught." She said and gestured to the newly cleaned and fluffed couches for him to take a seat. "Since you have no wife, and I am the betrothed of your heir, the responsibility as hostess and manager of the property falls to me. I dare say that since your mother passed away there has been no one to accept that burden."

"No," Sirius said, suddenly somber and thoughtful as he took his seat.

Hermione and Ginny had been busy filling teacups and offering biscuits to those already seated. When Daphne took her seat, between Harry and Sirius, her cup was already there, prepared just as she liked it.

She picked it up and after a brief temperature check, sipped and watched over it to make sure the others were behaving properly. Ginevra was not doing very well, but Hermione was whispering to her so she would survive her first formal tea.

When the initial cups were empty and a few were working on their second she spoke up again. "Since there are several matters, which will affect all present, I believe it is necessary to briefly state recent changes. First, I am Betrothed to Harry Potter, who was named the Heir of House Black. Hermione Granger is Lady Designate for House Potter, but currently bears the Consort ring for that house. Ginevra Weasley is a Ward of House Potter and Lord Potter has paid for her new wardrobe and school tuition. I believe that covers the changes in the last few days of which you may not have been aware of Headmaster."

"What of the difficulties with the Weasleys?" Marlene asked to bring that topic up.

"Yes, thank you Aunt Marlene." She said turning to the Headmaster. "Two days ago Ronald Weasley attempted to kidnap Consort Potter at wand point. He said she was his whore and he would have both of us."

"What!" Harry said, not having heard this before. He jerked his arm, spilling his tea on himself.

Before he could react Kreature was there, two snaps of his fingers and the mess was cleaned up and Harry's cup was safely on the table.

Hermione settled Harry the quickest way possible. She sat on his lap and kissed him.

"We of course told him no." Daphne continued, ignoring the snogging beside her, "and he then cursed me. I shielded it, and the House Wards transfigured him into a giant slug. He was removed shortly after that by Lord Black and taken home along with his mother."

"I will not tolerate this." Harry said, though it came out in a slightly dazed whisper.

"We must learn to forgive, especially our friends." The Headmaster said.

"Headmaster." Hermione said, softly and without anger, still firmly in Harry's lap. "A friend does not abandon you when you are forced to participate in something against your will. A friend is willing to listen when an issue comes up, instead of yelling and threatening to hit you."

"What?" Harry said sharply.

"Ronald said he would beat her up if she came near you, back in third year when you were fighting over the broom Lord Black purchased for you." Daphne said.

"Merlin, whatever made me think he was my friend?" Harry said, putting his forehead on Hermione's shoulder and hugging her.

"And the other incident?" Marlene prompted.

"Yes," Daphne said after placing her hand gently on Harry's back. "Last night I helped Aunt Marlene to bed, she was exhausted from skipping lunch and guarding us all day in Diagon. Anyway, when I exited her chamber to go to the Heir suite, the twins had cursed the door. My clothes vanished and they were there gawking at me!"

"Oh, my." The Headmaster said, his legs trembling slightly.

"The House wards restrained them, and then I cursed them a bit, before Lord Potter dragged me into the Heir suite."

"And then it got me." Ginny said. "I'd gone into Miss McKinnon's suite to fetch a chair for her to sit in, and my clothing also vanished when I exited the room."

"We were unaware of the cause of Miss Greengrass' nudity until that moment." Tonks said. "I was able to dispel the curse on the door shortly after that."

"I had Auror Tonks, who has her license, remove the details of that vision from the males in the house, except for Lord Potter. I would have done it myself, but was concerned as I was so exhausted. Mr. Potter asked for the memory of Ginevra's nudity be removed from his mind, a very noble request on his part, which was honored. Auror Tonks and Remus Lupin delivered them home, where their father bound their magic down to a mere ten percent."

Hermione had slid back into her own chair, but was holding one of his hands tightly, while Daphne had the other one cradled in her lap. "Two days in this house, and my ladies have been attacked on each of them." Harry said. "I will not tolerate this, they deserve to feel safe where they live. I have an offer to move to Castle McKinnon, which I will take if my ladies desire."

"Mr. Potter, Ladies." The Headmaster said. "I agree you should feel safe, that is certainly one of my goals. I was unaware of the extent of these issues, we can certainly assign alternate accommodations at school. Mr. Black can you explain how my request to associate Miss Greengrass with Mr. Potter ended in a Betrothal?"

Sirius finished his third cup of tea, seemingly unsatisfied with it as he was looking into the dregs in disgust. He sighed and placed both cup and saucer on the table before looking up. "When I made it to Gringotts to speak with the goblins, I discovered there was an outstanding contract." He glanced at Daphne who felt suddenly apprehensive. "A contract that would have applied to me, except magic detected one of the clauses had been triggered and it moved on to the next eligible male of Black descent-Draco Malfoy."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Why did it skip you?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.

The answer was nearly a minute in coming and stunned them all. "I'm sterile."

"I've always wondered why there weren't a lot of Black bastards running around." Marlene said, which made Sirius bark a laugh if not anyone else.

"I was a bit reckless." Sirius said with a shrug. "I never thought about that, maybe it was my magic telling me it didn't matter. So anyway, it didn't apply to me, though it had fallen to Draco Malfoy. When I named Harry my Heir he superseded Draco on the contract. I contacted Malcolm and we started re-working it, with Marlene and Hermione giving us input. Hermione insisted that there be one out-clause that would not cause any harm to them. And that she, or rather Lady Potter, be responsible for that decision. Since she clearly knows my Godson better than any of us, we took her advice."

"Thank you." Harry said, with Daphne echoing him a moment later.

"So Harry, you will become Lord Black at some point. Whether I live another year or a hundred, though I guess I could allocate myself a nice stipend and retire to the Black island in French Polynesia." Sirius said.

There was a rush to Sirius' chair to hug him. Harry, Hermione and Daphne each gave him a warm hug.

"Now as to the trial." Dumbledore said after everyone collected themselves.

"I will be at his side." Daphne said. "It is my right."

Dumbledore bowed his head in acknowledgment and then continued. "We have enough legal presence to certainly enable that. I myself will stand as your barrister, I have managed to persuade about thirty members, by reminding them of favors I have done for their families over the years, to return to our faction. With Miss Greengrass at your side, the neutral faction is also likely to vote in your favor."

"So, if it comes to a vote, it will be close." Marlene said.

"I believe so, yes."

"I'll have to sit my proxy." Marlene said.

"How do I appoint one?" Harry asked. "Tonks, can I offer it to your mother?"

"Proxies may only be appointed during normal sessions, and there will not be one before the trial. Though you can certainly offer it to Madam Tonks." Dumbledore said. "Now Fudge may not be aware of the charges being false. He is relying on his Senior Under-Secretary, a Madam Umbridge, to advise him. I strongly believe it is she who fabricated the charge to begin with. And she may be behind the smear campaign against us that I have finally stopped."

"Could it have been your success at stopping that, that triggered this?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore straightened his glasses. "I hadn't thought of that, but yes, it is possible."

"So the trial?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you will enter and sit in the accused chair. It may form chains to hold you, but should not."

"Chains?" Hermione asked.

"Magic restraining ones." Nym said. "Madam Bones will assign me and Kingsley to guard you. With your Betrothed at your side you must have a female guard as well. I can disable the chains."

"But as a Lord he can bypass that chair entirely." Sirius said. "Just touch your ring to the Ministry seal on the back of it. Though you will have to stand throughout then."

"Really?" Marlene said. "I was unaware of that."

"Yes, Pollux Black did it in the 1400's. If I remember correctly." Dumbledore said.

"The initial defense is simply that Mr. Potter did not cast the spell as he was not there?" Nym asked.

"Yes, but in that we have our first problem. We cannot reveal where he actually is." Dumbledore said.

"I think we're going about this the wrong way, there is a much better defense available to us. How about the fact he is legally an adult?" Hermione asked.

"He took up his ring after the incident, Love." Daphne said.

"No." Hermione said firmly. "He's legally been an adult since his Magical Guardian, Albus Dumbledore." She pointed at the Headmaster who looked surprised. "The Headmaster of his school." She kept her finger pointed at the surprised old man. "And the Ministry of Magic's senior representative, Barty Crouch Senior, insisted he participate in a tournament reserved for Of Age Students!"

"Oh my." Marlene said. "Can I kiss her Harry?"

"Brilliant!" He said in a daze, astonished no one had thought of this.

Hermione blushed quite prettily and turned to face the Headmaster, while Marlene licked her lips. "Well? That made him an adult. Didn't it?"

"Yes, I believe it would have." Dumbledore nodded quickly several times. "I'll need to check the register in the Ministry. It should show that date."

"Now, if none of this gets the trial tossed out I will reveal myself." Marlene said. "None will challenge my word, as a Hit Witch, vouching for what happened, the charges shall be dismissed."

"But only as a last resort." Harry said. For some reason he was standing and looking into her blue eyes until she nodded. And then with a mischievous smile the tall blonde stood and snatched Hermione from her seat beside Harry, hugging her, pausing briefly, their lips millimeters apart.

Hermione lifted herself to press her lips firmly against the tall woman's, and her hands went to the back of her neck, pulling them tighter together.

"Oh." Harry said, feeling himself grow painfully hard in his pants, while Daphne moved in front of him, taking his hands and placing them on her stomach.

Everyone else froze at the exquisite sight of the two beautiful women locked together.

"Madam!" Dumbledore managed to get out a minute later causing them to part.

"We need to talk." Marlene said in a husky voice, not looking at anyone else.

"Yes, talk." Hermione said, a bit dazed, but she released the taller woman's neck and pulled her towards a corner of the sitting room.

Marlene tried to redirect them up the stairs, but the brunette tightened her hold on the woman's hand and kept her moving to the corner. "Not that kind of talk, though I like the eagerness." She said with a grin.

"Merlin." Harry whispered, echoed by Sirius, while the others seemed to be mesmerized.

}-{

The Headmaster cleared his throat. "Well then, yes. I'll wander off to the Ministry of Magic's labyrinth of bureaucracy and endeavor to locate that proof of Mr. Potter's coming of age. If I'm not back in a few days don't despair I can always call Fawkes."

With a sudden burst of flame the aforementioned immortal bird landed on his pet's shoulder and then vanished with the colorful man.

"Woah." Sirius said while the rest stood in shock at the sudden departure of the Headmaster.

"Sirius," Harry said, stepping beside Daphne. "The only part of that tale I believe is that you're shooting blanks."

"What?" Remus said.

"I have been greatly disappointed by the vast majority of adults in my life. From the Headmaster's decision to drop me on a doorstep in November, to the atrocious favoritism in our school and your petty bickering with Snape. The only adult who has made an actual effort to explain things to me is secluded with my witch, somewhere I can't think of at the moment."

"Hermione used a strong Notice Me Not, ward." Daphne added. "And no, I have no idea where they are, I just remember seeing the first rune she traced with her wand. Though the wards tell me they are in the house and safe."

"Harry." Sirius said, but drifted off.

"I'm tired of being manipulated and forced into things." When Daphne's hand tightened on his he turned to her, "I have no quarrel with you." He said quickly and turned back to his godfather. "I believe you created that document whole cloth with Malcolm to free yourself of this responsibility. While he likely profited from the large bribe you used to convince him to go through with it. If you've been sterile for years Malfoy would have been notified and he would have been bragging about it constantly."

"Ahh," Daphne said, catching on to what Harry was saying. "And your stipend is already allocated and filed with Gringotts. Yes, Harry I believe you are correct. So when shall you abdicate the title you have avoided since getting yourself sorted into Gryffindor?"

"I…" Sirius said and slumped onto the couch, holding his head. "Why are you all in Azkaban with me?"

"Oh Merlin." Remus said.

"I'll go get my mum." Nym said, heading out the door quickly.

"What's wrong with my son?" the portrait of Walburga Black asked from across the room.

"Remus, get him into his bed, Dreamless Sleep should be best." Daphne said and pulled Harry to the portrait while Remus levitated the dazed Head of House Black. "Stay with us Ginny." She called over her shoulder when the ginger looked confused.

"Lady Black, may I introduce my betrothed? Harry James Potter-Black."

"Lord Potter-Black." Walburga intoned formally and gave him a deep curtsy. "My son, please."

"We don't know." Daphne said. "When Harry confronted him on his recent actions his head appeared to hurt and then he seemed to become delusional. I've asked his friend Remus to put him to bed with a Dreamless Sleep potion. Andromeda should be here to provide a Healer's opinion soon."

"I don't need a healer, that's a clear sign of excessive obliviation." The portrait said. "Ask the ginger bint, she knows something." Walburga continued, pointing at Ginny who stood several feet behind them.

"What did you do to my godfather?" Harry said, spinning around.

"No." Ginny said, shaking her head so hard her hair hit her in the face.

"If not you, whom?" Daphne asked.

Ginny started crying but didn't move.

"Come with me." Daphne said. She took the terrified girl's wrist tightly in her hand. "We'll discuss this in private Harry. Come find me in thirty minutes in our suite." She added over her shoulder as she dragged the unresistant girl along with her.

When they reached the 4th floor she went to the door opposite her aunt's room. "I want you to move into this room." Daphne said as she pushed the door open. She hadn't ever seen it, but it was the on the Heir floor and should be equivalent to the room her Aunt had moved into.

"Oh." Ginny said, looking at the bare room.

"I will have Kreature clean it and you can help decorate." Daphne said without pause changing the ginger's frown into a trembling smile.

"So you're in charge here now?" Ginny asked when the door to the empty room closed them inside.

Daphne conjured a pair of stiff-backed wooden chairs and gestured the younger witch into one. She sat and straightened her dress before answering. "A Pureblood household is run like a Medieval manor. The Lord of the house, in this case Sirius, controls the broad picture, politics, armies, allies and enemies. But the Lady of the house, which doesn't currently exist, is responsible for the home itself. Everything from keeping it in good repair, making sure there is food for the winter and supplies in the house to hosting guests. Since I am the Heir's Lady, that duty and responsibility falls to me."

"What's it like being with Harry."

"No." Daphne answered a bit harsher than she intended, making the girl look up in fright. "Sorry, I did not mean to make that seem like an attack. You must get rid of this fixation on Harry Potter. The boy you envision is not the real one, but made of mist and fancy."

"But."

"No," she said again and this time it was as she intended, soft but firm. "I have been with him, he is to be my husband, but such things are intensely private and I will not break his trust by revealing it. I shall answer as I would for my sister Astoria, who is your age."

"Um, OK."

"This is not something to enter into casually. Our magic will entwine with the wizard, judge him, and if the two magics are compatible, can lock you together for life."

Ginny gasped.

"So you must think hard on it before taking that step. Will this person be someone you want to hang around for a century, do they have prospects for supporting you, or can you support them? Do you want to support them?"

"Mum never…" Ginny said but trailed off.

"Your mother told you that Harry could force you into anything, which is correct, but you should realize that only the most sadistic of men would do so. Do you place my future husband in amongst them?"

"No, Harry's great, he saved me."

"Yes, but he saved you as his best friend's little sister. And that is where your fantasy Harry Potter hangs. He did not risk his life to save Ginevra Weasley. He went to save Ron Weasleys little sister."

"Oh." Ginny said and tears started down her cheeks.

"I do not hate you, but I will not lie to you to make you feel better. Too often that causes more harm than the truth. Harry does not love you, and his magic is not seeking yours. You should seek other prospects and then discuss them with myself or Hermione. Not with Harry, we will know far more about the person than he does. He will make the final decision, as you are his Ward, but that will be on our recommendation."

"Why is this so difficult?" She cried.

"Because you have been lied to."

"By my mother, yes." The ginger said and took the conjured handkerchief the blonde girl handed her.

When Ginny was calmer Daphne pushed her point. "You know something and we must have that information. I saw your look when Remus and Nym were discussing taking the twins home. Will you tell me what that was about?"

"Yes." She blurted, but then spent a minute collecting her thoughts. "I saw my mum obliviate Sirius once, it was right after we got here, before Hermione or you arrived. She then told him he wanted to find a way to pass the Lordship of House Black to someone else and then leave, never to return again."

"The bitch!" Daphne blurted making Ginny flinch. "I'm sorry, my ire is not aimed at you. We are not responsible for our parents, or I would be in Azkaban for what mine has done."

Ginny nodded and continued after a moment to gather her thoughts. "Mums always told me that I need to be willing to use spells or potions to get the man I want. She did. And she tells the boys the same, at least Ron and the twins. I was too young when Bill and Charlie were living in the house to know. Percy, I'm not sure of. He's always to strict and follows the rules, something's not right there either, but I don't think it's the same."

Daphne was so shocked she was unable to respond for a minute as the young Ward of House Potter looked at her. "Do you understand that is illegal? To use either potion or spell to control another is an automatic trip to Azkaban. That's what the Imperius Curse is."

Ginny shrugged, "We're supposed to trust our parents right? I didn't understand it was wrong until…"

"What your brothers did to me, yes I know."

"What can we do?"

"We'll start by telling my aunt, she can decide how to proceed, but odds are very good your mother and brothers will be heading to an island in the North Sea. Now let's see if my connection to the wards will tell me where she is yet?"

Daphne closed her eyes, reaching out for that feeling that had come fleetingly earlier. There it was, she flinched when it felt like a birds beak clamped onto her shoulder, though nothing was there. Oh, her aunt was still in the parlor, but since she couldn't tell where she had to still be under the ward. Harry was standing in the corner looking through some curio's in a cabinet.

She stood screaming, "NO HARRY!" And vanished in a crack that made the house tremble with the force behind it.

}-{

Hermione built a quick ward in the corner with several carefully placed taps of her wand.

Marlene sat and observed her spell-work carefully. She had never really seen the prodigy in action, working only from second hand reports from her niece. It looked like she had understated the girls skill if anything. When Hermione's notice-me-not ward shimmered into existence the Hit Witch added a silencing spell.

The brilliant brunette sat only a few inches away and met her eyes. "Let me make this clear, if it wasn't already, I am in charge here. Your magic wants Harry, his wants you. I'm perfectly willing to take you as my lover, I can't wait to experience your Parseltongue."

"What?" Marlene said, suddenly nervous.

"It's a family trait, I know my Daph has it, the world knows my Harry has it. I just wish I could bloody learn it!"

"Oh, yes." Marlene said and leaned forward on the couch.

"We're here because you decided to kiss me." Hermione reminded her. "I'm not going to dance around this. We have to wait a while. Right now you're an authority figure that can officially instruct and guide us. The minute there is a hint that you're in Harry's bed, it will fall apart. Once Harry is recognized as a leader, and we've learned enough to take the fight to the nose-less-wanker, then no one will bat an eye when you join us."

"How are you so certain he…"

"I know Harry. I can tell you precisely how he'll react. If you and I did go to your room right now he wouldn't say a word against us, though Daphne would drag him to our room to distract him." She shrugged. "Yes, I'm certain. I meant what I said in the heat of the moment downstairs, when you were manipulating me. You'll not fight alone. We'll be there, but he and I have to get better or you and Daph will just be hampered by guarding us."

"You know." Marlene said, suddenly smiling. "You're everything Daphne said you were."

Hermione blushed at the compliment, but only glanced away from her for a moment. "I've got to keep Harry alive so we can have a future. That's always meant I needed to learn far faster than everyone else. I'll not slack off just because you are well ahead of me."

"You should start with Occlumency."

"Daph started me on that back in third year. I'm well into my mindscape."

"Really?" Marlene said, her eyebrows rising dramatically.

"Yes, and I gave Harry the beginners book before summer, but he hasn't gotten far into it. We need to get settled down so we can study. Are we safe here now or should we leave?"

"I'd like to search the house, it feels cursed, perhaps with Daphne asserting her authority we can learn something from the portraits."

"That was brilliant wasn't it?" Hermione said, beaming at her lover's initiative and actions.

"Yes, it was well done." Marlene said. "I couldn't have pulled it off. As much as I hate the bastard she learned how to do that from her father."

And then the house shook yet again and they jumped to their feet. The Notice-Me-Not Ward did not prevent them from seeing the room, just stopped others from noticing them sitting there.

Harry was across the room at the curio cabinet with the door open and his hand inside. Daphne appeared in the middle of the room with a blinding light and a deafening thunderclap. He jerked at the sound...

}-{

Harry Potter was bored, he'd spoken with the portrait briefly, but she seemed terrified of him so he took pity on her and bid her a good day. He had at least fifteen minutes before Daphne had asked him to meet her. Hermione and Marlene were still missing.

That brought him back to why they were missing, that kiss. It had taken his breath away just to witness it. What could be taking them so long? No he was sure they hadn't left this room and Hermione had distinctly said they were going to talk.

He got distracted by the curio cabinet in the corner. It had been polished and dusted along with the rest of the room, but still seemed dirty to him. There were hundreds of little objects, made of metal, stone, and wood. There didn't seem to be two of anything. A blue crystal bird was on the top shelf, its wings poised to take flight, while beneath it ranged a collection of rings, some with stones, but most just a metal band.

What was the history of these things? Who had worn or made those rings? Had any of it been written down for later generations? And what of similar things for the Potters? He hadn't looked through the list from Gringotts, but there were several properties, and then the vault he couldn't access yet. What was in it?

He squatted to look at the lower shelves easier, a large pendant, with an embossed snake in the shape of a capital S caught his attention. It reminded him of something, where had he seen that before?

Without realizing it his hand had opened the door. Normally it wouldn't have opened, long ago having been sealed by the Head of the family. But he was the Heir, and the family magic had deemed Sirius unfit from when he'd first rejected the family decades ago. Since he hadn't done anything to redeem himself in its view, Harry held the authority of the Lord, as Daphne held that of the Lady.

The magic sealing the cabinet flickered over his Black ring and then opened without further protest.

Just as he was about to pick up the locket there was a tremendous crack behind him. He flinched and his fingers brushed the locket and his forehead exploded in pain.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Harry!" Hermione yelled and ran across the room, past Daphne who was still recovering from the forced apparition.

He was twisting on the ground, both hands clenched over his head, from his right wrist dangled the open locket. Blood was coming from his famous scar as though he'd just been slashed with a sword.

Daphne reached them and had her hands on one of his shoulders, though he continued to twist, even with both girls trying to hold him.

"Hold it still!" Marlene yelled as she paused and knelt by Daphne's feet. She came up holding Daphne's dagger. "The locket, hold it still!" Marlene said.

It was then she realized the locket was hissing at them. Hoping her companions could understand what it was saying Hermione climbed on top of Harry, and grabbed his right arm, with Daphne's help they got it away from his bloody face and on the carpet.

"Nooo" he hissed out, "get out."

Daphne grabbed his wrist near the locket and pushed it into the carpet as hard as she could. "Shut it up!" She screamed at it.

Hermione saw an eyeball leering around inside the locket just before the dagger plunged into it. With a sickening squelch, black ichor started seeping from the locket. A scream erupted from the locket, as though a man had just been stabbed in the parlor.

She and Daphne quickly got the chain off of his wrist and pulled him half-way across the room. Marlene stood over the locket, still pinned to the carpet by the long dagger. She hissed at the now silent locket and then jerked the dagger free.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" Remus said, he was at the foot of the stairs, wand in hand.

Ginny was at the very highest part of the stairs she could be and still see through the rails into the room.

"It's still attacking him." Daphne said.

"Graveyard." Harry struggled to say.

"Like when you were in the graveyard?" Hermione asked, holding one bloody hand, the other pressed to his cheek.

"Yessss, struggle."

"When your wands matched?"

He didn't speak but nodded sharply.

"He's fighting another battle of wills." Hermione explained to Daphne and Marlene. "My Legimancy isn't good enough to help him." She cried.

"Mine is." Daphne said.

"As is mine." Marlene added, though was completely ignored by the two girls.

"Can I link with you?" The brunette asked.

"Girls!" Marlene said sharply.

"It's Harry!" They both replied to her and then drew their wands.

They'd done this a few times, but never under such stress. It took them an extra minute to focus enough for their minds to connect. Once they were together Daphne turned to Harry, who was now being held down by Remus's considerable strength.

Marlene cast a quick cleaning spell on his face to remove the blood, then pulled his eyes open, they were glowing red and another voice seemed to be trying to use his throat.

"Legillimens!" Daphne cast, pushing as much of her magic into it as she could.

 _NO_ , Was the first thing they heard when they arrived in their lover's mind. It wasn't a voice they recognized so had to be snake-lips.

 _We're here Harry,_ Hermione projected.

 _Get away, he's stronger than in the graveyard._ He answered and then they saw him, struggling to get out from under a pale-skinned man.

Daphne was there in an instant, atop the man, with her hands locked under his throat. She wrenched up, which would have broken a human's neck, instead he merely rose up a few inches.

 _Foolish girl, I am immortal!_ He said, one arm coming up to grab her.

That gave Harry an opportunity, he twisted to his side, causing no-nose to fall towards the side he'd just lifted his arm from. He crashed to the ground, with Daphne atop him and Harry got both of his hands on the man's face, pushing hard.

Hermione Granger had always been a prodigy, she'd pushed herself since before she could remember to learn everything. Occlumency had been one of her more recent passions, she'd read what they said about it, incorporated it and then innovated farther. When her mother made a suggestion she'd tried it, and succeeded beyond her imagination. Here in Harry's mind was one of the few places it was possible to see what she'd done. Instead of a single Hermione, there were sixteen of her.

They didn't quite look the same either, each was dressed slightly differently. Normally each of these focused on a single task, often for days or weeks until a solution could be found. Now they were all focused on this single issue.

Quickly the answer came to them, they were in Harry's mind, that made it like a dream, and in a dream anything was possible!

Four of them charged the fray, where Mr. no humor was winning. They were able to push the pile over, grabbing snake-lips limbs. They were joined by more of their sisters, until even his enhanced 'body' was unable to move.

Two of them imagined they were holding Daphne's dagger and it showed up in their hands. They charged the scene. Hermione, in most of her mind was not a combatant, but when it came to her loves, she was a different witch. She didn't hesitate to stab into the pale skin of the being.

Instead of blood, it was filled with black ichor.

 _NO, you fools! I cannot be killed!_

While her seconds were hacking at the imaginary body of Tom Riddle, Hermione Prime focused on the Sword of Gryffindor. She may not be able to summon the actual blade, but Harry knew what it was and what it could do, that should be enough within his mind.

Her hand wrapped around the hilt of the heavy sword. She felt herself judged by the blade, so this wasn't some imaginary copy. With greater confidence she moved around to where the head of this thing was.

He'd been mangled, dozens of cuts and gashes marred his white skin. One of her ichor covered seconds looked up, _This is filled with his memories!_

The two with blades started poking holes in him randomly.

Daphne focused a minute and her dagger appeared in her hand, looking more substantial than the ones Hermione had created. She plunged it into the beings heart. But it didn't seem to bother him any more than the other wounds did.

 _Harry hold his head,_ Hermione Prime said while standing over the thrashing and cursing cranium.

 _I cannot be killed, I am immortal!_

 _Of course you can,_ Hermione Prime said. She felt another hand cover hers and redirect the blade to the things red eye. It plunged down, into the red orb of Harry's attempted murderer.

Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, let out a scream that sounded just like the locket, and to Harry, the diary as well. The thrashing body suddenly became still.

 _Thank you Godric._ She thought, or thought she thought. She laughed at the absurd idea and tried to pull the sword free.

 _Let me help._ Harry said, standing beside her. _Thank you ladies._ He said, and paused, looking over Tom Riddle's corpse as four more Hermiones rushed into his mind.

 _Hermione love, why are there more of you?_ Daphne said, wiping her face with her sleeve.

 _Occlumency, meet my mind._ She said and gestured with one hand, the other still holding the sword.

Harry put his hand on the hilt of Godric's blade. They felt a jolt of magic go through them and then heard a voice.

 _My lord Gryffindor has chosen an excellent lady Gryffindor._

The body vanished into a pool of ichor, the Hermiones seemed to be trying to bathe in it.

 _Damn it!_ Daphne said to the duo holding the famous sword. _Now you're Gryffindor!_

 _What?_

 _Didn't you hear that voice? The sword just proclaimed you Lord and Lady Gryffindor._

 _Really? What does that mean?_

 _Let's get back to the outside world. Mine, are your seconds done feasting?_

They looked over the floor where several of the girls looked to be drunk, two had passed out, and a full dozen looked high.

 _Yep, this is going to take some sorting._ She said. _Everyone grab a sister and head home, twenty four hour break and then we start sorting this mess out._

 _Yay!_ Several of the more cognizant girls said and got to their feet, before turning to help the others.

It took a few minutes, but Harry's mind was soon down to just the three of them.

With a gesture from Daphne they were clean. She came close to them. _I don't trust that sword, but give me a kiss and we'll meet you back outside._

Harry and Hermione moved their joined hands behind them.

 _I shall not harm one who has proven their loyalty to mine._ The sword said causing Daphne to flinch. But she got a brief kiss from Harry and then tried the same with Hermione, but she dug her free hand into the blonde's tresses. Forcing a deeper kiss, until they parted with a loud pop.

 _Loyal girls deserve real kisses,_ she breathed and then turned her to face Harry again. _Try again._

He'd released Godric's sword, as Hermione released their blonde lovers hair, he grabbed it and kissed her properly.

 _I'll see you two outside._ Hermione thought and then vanished, taking the sword with her.

 _I'm sorry,_ Daphne said when they parted. _The wards told me there was something dangerous in the case, and then somehow I apparated to the parlor._

He kissed her again, fairly short by Hermione's standards. _Thank you for trying, sometimes my life is like this no matter how hard I try. How are you able to get into my mind?_

 _Occlumency. Well that's not true, it's Legilimancy that got us here, mine since Hermione's been so focused on her Occlumency and now I know why._

He laughed and pulled her into a tight hug, crushing the air from her lungs for a moment. _Guess I better get back to reading that book._

 _Yes,_ she said breathlessly, still catching up from the lung-crushing hug. _Outside, and then we all need to talk._

 _Sure, how do we get outside?_

 _Like this._ She said and vanished from his arms.

His world changed in an instant, he groaned in pain and tried to move but everything was sore. The world was a big blur, except for the blonde angel in front of him. Before Marlene could say anything he did. "You're an angel and trust me I need one."

She laughed, "let's get those glasses on so you can tell me from my niece."

Harry sighed dramatically, "Can't even get a compliment—" he said, but was interrupted when Kreature appeared with a crack on the far side of the room.

"Master Regulus' locket is gone!" Kreature said in awe. "Finally it is done!" The elf said and began dancing a very bad Irish jig around the room. He made it to the mess on the floor and paused to piss on the locket.

When his bladder was apparently empty he came back to himself, straightened his pillowcase and snapped his fingers, cleaning up the mess and leaving a mangled locket lying on the repaired carpet.

Kreature scooped it up by the chain and walked over to Marlene, with a bow he presented it to her. "Thank you Lady Paladin." He said. When she put the still dirty dagger through the chain he snapped his fingers, cleaning up the remaining ichor and vanished.

"That's got to be the craziest elf I've ever encountered." Marlene said.

Hermione dove on Harry, hugging him and causing the rest in the room to laugh at her antics.

"Why am I being smothered?" Harry's muffled voice came from Hermione's considerable cleavage.

With an excited squeak she pulled back and gave the surprised boy a thorough kissing. While he was still dazed Daphne gave him equal attention before punching him in the shoulder.

"Harry Potter, don't you do that to me!"

"What did I do?" He said, rubbing his shoulder. "And where are my glasses?"

"I've got them." Ginny said, walking nervously over to them from the stairs. "They were on the ground by the door. I don't think they broke."

"So what did I do?" He asked once he had his spectacles on and was sitting up.

"You don't remember?" Marlene asked, dangling the mangled locket in front of him. When his hand moved to take it she pulled it back. "No, that's how this started. Curious boy needs to learn restraint."

Another mischievous smile graced her lips.

"No." Hermione said firmly, looking up at the standing woman without flinching.

Marlene pouted. "Very well you'll have to do it later. As to what happened, you touched this, it opened, and you screamed. Hermione held you still while Daphne kept the locket from moving and I stabbed it with her Goblin blade."

"Then we went into his mind and kicked Voldemort's ass." Hermione said and giggled.

"Why?" Remus asked. "I mean why was he screaming?"

Instead of answering she held the dagger above her head, which brought the locket dangling from it, to her eye level. After a minute to inspect it she slid the locket from the blade and into her hand. "It was an artifact of Salazar Slytherin, one which had been cursed. Harry reacted to it, probably because of his famous scar, received from the last descendent of Lord Slytherin himself."

She tossed the locket into Harry's lap and held the dagger, hilt first, out to her niece.

The boy flinched away from it but it landed on him in spite of his attempt to move. While Daphne took the dagger, gave the blade a quick inspection and then sheathed it in her tall boot.

"Ha ha." Harry said, picking up the locket after recovering from his fright. "This does look familiar." He said looking at the lid of the locket which was slightly bent, but otherwise undamaged. "And that scream when we killed it, that sounded just like when I stabbed the book in the Chamber."

"Really?" all three girls said while Ginny shivered, hugging herself tightly.

"I know where I saw this, the snake S is the same as it was in the Chamber, and on the tap to open the door. Ginny?" he called, only then realizing she was not taking this twist in the conversation well.

Daphne was at her side in an instant, guiding her around the Sword of Gryffindor, which appeared to have entered their life in a very real way, to sit on one of the couches. "It's not your fault, we're just looking for confirmation on what something looks like."

Ginny nodded, but turned and buried her face in Daphne's robes. "It's the same." She mumbled, not moving from Daphne's shoulder, though she shivered and held onto the older girl.

"Kreature," Daphne called and the house-elf appeared in an instant. "Is there a Pensive in the house?"

"Yes, in the Lord's study Ma'am."

"Good. Prepare the other guest room on the Heir floor for Ginevra, move her belongings there."

"Yes, Mistress. Lunch is being ready." The old elf said and vanished with a crack.

"I hope he washed his hands." Hermione said and picked up the sword. "I'll just take this up to our room. And that too I guess." She said taking the destroyed locket from Harry.

}-{

While she was upstairs, the front door opened and Nym, with her mother Andromeda came in out of a pouring rain. A few quick spells and they were dry.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Nym asked, scratching her head.

"I seem to end up on it often enough, just getting myself familiar with this one." Harry said and rolled to his feet. "Madam Tonks, thank you for coming. Please do what you can for my godfather and then I have a request of you." He said in a rush.

"Of course Lord Potter." She said with a curtsy.

"Sirius has been obliviated." Daphne said, startling everyone with the anger in her words. She gave Ginny a comforting hug and turned her to face the room. "Tell them what you saw."

"My mum obliviated him, here in the kitchen just after we got here in July." Ginny said, not looking up from the floor. Daphne allowed her to collapse back into her after that.

"Mrs. Weasley appears to have retained much of her Prewitt upbringing." Marlene said coldly and then turned to Mrs. Tonks. "I'm Daphne's aunt, Marlene McKinnon."

"Don't let her fool you, she's my guardian angel." Harry said.

"Madam Tonks," Remus said gesturing at the stairs. "He's under a dreamless sleep in the Lord's suite.

"Nymphadora, you should have told me to leave my sanity at home with your father!"

With a chuckle following her she headed up the stairs. "Oh, lunch is ready when you're free." Harry called up the stairs, eliciting a response from Hermione on her way down.

"I know that silly boy. Oh, hello Nym, is this your mother?"

With a laugh Harry headed into the dining room, followed by the rest of his comedy troop. Something was really weird in his head, but he felt happy, lighter, so it had to be good. Right?

}-{

Lunch was something Harry didn't recognize, but Daphne oo'd "That house elf's got my favorite foods now."

"Teach you to take ownership of a house." Marlene said and sat opposite them.

"So what is it?" Harry asked.

Ginny sat next to Daphne, away from Harry.

"Steak and kidney pudding." Daphne said, digging into her plate. "Oh, he did good, guess I won't replace him just yet."

With a chuckle Harry, Ginny and Marlene started eating. The boy hmmed a minute later and decided he liked it as well.

"Sorry I got distracted by Tonks, both of them." Hermione said as she walked into the room and sat beside Marlene, much to her surprise. Hermione ignored her however to eat her meal.

Soon after Nym arrived and sat on Harry's other side. "Mum kicked me out, Remmy is 'assisting' her, though if you hear any rough breathing I wouldn't go investigate. She takes that M.I.L.F. thing way too seriously."

Marlene laughed while Harry paused, fork half-way to his mouth, then he shrugged and went back to eating. It wasn't his job to police the adults in his life. And besides, they were adults, it was their choice, unless it was just Nym starting a rumor to get even with her mother for using her first name. Or for giving her that name to begin with. He thought about asking what milf stood for, but wisely decided he'd ask his ladies in private later.

Daphne's free hand went to his lap and then between his legs. She did it naturally and smoothly so he hardly registered it until it was far too late. She was cupping his balls through his pants when she finally leaned forward on the table.

"I think I'll take my Betrothed up to our room to relax. It's been a stressful morning." She said, tugging on his balls briefly before releasing him to stand and wait for him to join her. She turned to Ginny, "Don't forget you've been moved to a different suite. Call for Kreature if you want to change colors or furniture."

"Yes, thank you." The ginger said, looking up in adoration at her new savior.

}-{

"I seem to have absorbed some of Tom's kinky sex memories." She said when they were alone and shivered. "Fuck them out of my head." She ordered.

"As the lady wishes."

"No, I'm not a lady now, I'm a cunt that needs fucking, lots of fucking." She breathed and latched onto his collarbone humming in parseltongue.

"Oh." He moaned and quickly removed his clothing. She shifted to kissing his mouth after his shirt was removed and they started on her clothes.

When he moved her to the bed she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down with her and grunting as his weight fell on her.

"Sorry." He said, moving down her body.

"I don't need foreplay, fuck me."

Her scent was already permeating the room, so he lined his cock up with her dripping slit and shoved inside her. They grunted together at the sudden sensation.

"That's it, now don't stop." She said, her mouth finding his and her hands locking together behind his neck. She moved her legs wide open, as though her ankles were being held at her shoulder height. She couldn't quite get them on the bed without help, but Harry provided that without her asking.

"Harder," she breathed, snaking her hands between them to tug on her tender nipples.

With his grip on her ankles she was completely subject to his whim, and loved it. Sex with Mine was never like this, that was more a meeting of equals.

"Come on Harry, claim me. Spoil my cunt. Make me never think of another man."

He grunted and slowed his pace, slamming his cock into her harder, making her gasp each time he hit her womb.

"That's it, dominate me. I'm your witch. Shove that cock into my throat."

She reached a hand between them and pinched her swollen clit between strokes, just getting it out of the way before he broke her fingers between their pelvis bones. She did it two more times before she came so hard she could only see white for a minute.

He kept pounding though while her cunt convulsed around him.

"Thank… you… Love…" Daphne said, between her continuing gasps.

And then he was bathing her womb with his hot cum. "Yes, fill me up."

He couldn't speak, sweat was dripping from his nose onto her chest. His thumbs were digging into her ankles fairly hard, he'd surely bruised her insides, and her hips hurt. It was perfect.

She wrapped her arms around his back and cooed into his ear while he panted into hers.

He didn't seem aware he was still folding her in half, and she wasn't going to mention it, ever. Though she was going to suck him hard immediately and then see where it went. She could still vaguely recall Riddle liked to kill during sex, and that needed to get out of her head.

"How was that my sexy Slytherin?" he whispered into her ear.

"Very well done, but I want more."

"You insatiable women will be the death of me."

"At least you'll die happy. There has to be a position with me on top, show me what Mine does?"

"That's better." He said, wiping his sweaty cheek on hers and sitting up. "Oh." He said, suddenly realizing he had her ankles in a death grip.

She hissed when he let them go, "Well, they'll have to wake up before I do much."

"Sorry."

"Harry, don't ever apologize for doing something I ask you to do. There was nothing wrong with that fuck, it will just take me a few minutes to recover." She gyrated her hips a little, "And you need some time too. Clean us both up, and me out, without Mine here I would get too slippery I think."

Harry found his wand and cast several cleaning spells on them, her pussy was gaping open, his milky seed dripping out, until he cleaned her up, then she was just gaping open and red all over.

She shivered as the spell worked inside her and then rubbed her legs, they were still tingling but seemed to be responding.

"So lie down." She said as she sat up, her hand going to his balls. His cock was only half-hard so once he was on his back she took him into her mouth. Being careful not to rake him with her teeth she swirled her tongue around it and sucked hard, it came to life in her mouth.

"There we go." She said and he guided her to sit on his cock, facing him. When he was comfortably nestled deep inside her she sighed and looked down at the blissful expression on his face. "So this has to be some basic position, Mine is far too inventive."

"Yes, but I like this one a lot." He whispered, his hands caressing up her slim torso to grope her breasts.

"Ahh, yes. You can pinch my nipples, I like that." She said and tried to sort out how to fuck him in this position. That was definitely the bad side to only having sex with another girl before this. She wasn't a passive lover, she couldn't just lie there. Ok so gyrating is not a lot, thighs, ohh, that's better.

Harry started guiding her by lifting her tits up until he nearly fell out of her and then letting her drop with a wet squelching sound.

"Ok, I've got it." She said and leaned forward, holding his shoulders tightly and started fucking him.

His hands left her, searching on the bed over his head and brought back a pillow. She paused and then rocked back, pulling up on his shoulders while he slipped the pillow under them.

Then his hands squeezed her breasts sideways, pulling her left nipple down into his mouth. But she stopped him just before he got it inside. "No parseltongue until you've cum." When he nodded she allowed him to drag her the last few inches into his hot mouth.

While he started suckling she adapted her new fucking technique to accommodate a tit that had to stay in one place. Fortunately it was large enough to give her some flexibility, and she imagined Mine doing this nearly sitting up.

He started shoving his cock up into her as she went down, again they started meeting at her womb, deep inside her. She'd have to get Mine's help to heal her later, and probably him too. But right now it was perfect as they slammed together.

Sometime later he released her now distended left nipple and moved to suckle on her right. She kept slamming down on his cock, she was tingling, getting close.

Daphne prided herself on being in shape, she could out-duel most opponents simply because they got exhausted. This was an entirely different contest, in which they would both win, the degree of which depended on how much effort they each put into it.

She would not be a bad lover.

"Is this good for you? I like it." She said to him. "Just nod or shake your head."

He nodded, as she expected him to, what boy would say he didn't like it. Well she'd get the truth out of him during their Occlumency practice.

"Oh." She said and he grabbed her hips, to start fucking up into her very fast. She gave up trying to move with him and simply rode his cock to a huge climax. He was biting on her nipple by the time she was done, though he never slowed, never gave her a chance to recover, he hissed the word cum in parseltongue on her nipple and she did just that.

This time he followed her, his cock filled her deepest places with his seed.

They were both covered in sweat and Daphne couldn't remember what she wanted to forget. It was perfect. "Thank you." She said, kissing his cheek as he released her abused nipple.

They lay there relaxing and recovering for a minute or so, before he spoke up.

"Daphne." He said suddenly serious, he held her shoulders so she could look at him. "I can't believe how quickly you've become an important part of my life. I don't think I'd ever want to push you away."

"Harry," she said caressing his cheek. "Tell me that when we're all stinky from a workout, not bathing in the afterglow." His smile turned into a frown and he let go of her shoulders. She kissed the nook between his shoulder and neck, and then followed it up to his ear which she bit gently. "I love Mine, and am nearly in love with you."

"So you can say that now but I can't?"

She shook her head, making her long hair flop onto his face before she sat up. She placed her red-tipped fingernail between his ribs making him wince. "You show me love in what you do, and you're doing a good job of it so far."

Her nail retreated and she sat up on him, slowly caressing her tortured right nipple.

"Sorry."

She looked at him like he was stupid. "What did I tell you last time."

"That it was fine. Ok, so I'm not sorry, it was great."

"See? And yes it was." She said kissing his cheek and rolling off of him towards the side of the bed. "Shower time, join me." And with that she was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

As the four girls still sat at the dinner table Hermione spoke up. "Ginny."

"Yes?" the ginger said, still playing with her half-eaten lunch.

"I'm well aware you're my responsibility and I haven't been available to you. For that I'm sorry. Any commitment Daphne has made on my behalf I'll certainly honor. You can come to me for help if you need it."

"Ok," Ginny said, looking up briefly.

"Do you want something else to eat?" Marlene asked.

"No, it tastes fine, I just don't feel very hungry after this morning."

"If you want to go check out your new room and get it decorated as you like, go ahead." Hermione said.

"Yes, thanks." Ginny said, scraping the chair on the hardwood floor as she stood. "Miss McKinnon?"

Marlene's eyebrow rose but she didn't speak.

"I need to know that the people my mum and brothers have hurt will be found and helped. Can you do that?"

"Yes, we can. I'll need an official statement from you, with at least one Auror present." She gestured to Tonks who gave her a two-fingered salute and a cocky smile. "She can at least sign the paperwork. And then we can move."

"Can we do that soon?"

"Sure, if you don't mind postponing your new bedroom, we can do it now. Hermione can serve as your guardian."

"Yes, please." Ginny said sitting back down at the table.

Marlene swirled her left hand and her dark-wood staff appeared. She grounded the butt on the wooden floor and leaned the tip over the table. The ruby glowed giving them each a red tint.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, do you swear the evidence you are about to provide is the truth so far as you know and have personally witnessed?"

"I Ginevra Molly Weasley so swear."

"Hermione Jane Granger, Consort Potter and designated Lady Potter. This girl is a Ward of House Potter, and under age. Do you consent to allow her to present evidence?"

"I Hermione Jane Granger, do give my permission for this Ward of House Potter to give evidence."

"Auror Nymphadora Tonks, shall you witness this evidence?"

"I shall."

"Proceed with your evidence."

"On July third, just after we arrived here, I came down to get a drink, it was about midnight or so, my mum and Lord Black were arguing in the kitchen so I froze, the door half open. My mum then obliviated him and told him he needed to get out of Harry Potter's life and should make someone else the next Lord."

"Was this the first time you saw her do this?" Marlene asked.

"No." Ginny said shaking her head.

"And the previous time?"

"She obliviated my dad when he was arguing with her about something. He wanted her to get a job to help with the family income, she obliviated him and told him that Dumbledore was giving them money. I don't know if he did or not."

"Are you aware of your mother performing any other illegal acts?"

"Yes." She said, this time starting to cry.

Hermione shifted to the chair beside her and took her hand in hers.

"She told me she used a love potion on dad back in school to get his attention. I've seen her brewing it from time to time so I think she's still giving it to him. She makes it for my brothers too, and was going to give some to Ron so he could rape Hermione. She wanted me to give some to Harry so I could have him. The twins very suddenly got girlfriends last year, all three of the Gryffindor chasers, I'd have them all tested. Percy seems to be different, but is somehow involved as well. I was too young when Charlie and Bill were growing up to know what was happening with them."

Hermione's grip had tightened painfully during her long speech, but she didn't interrupt.

"Is this the extent of your evidence?"

"Yes, I can't remember anything more."

Hermione managed to loosen her grip on the young girls hand.

"Very well." She said and tapped her staff. Several sheets of parchment appeared on the table, she flipped through it quickly and then turned it to face Ginny. "Read it then we'll each sign."

With a quick twirl of her wrist the staff vanished along with the sickly red glow.

Once they had all signed it Marlene flipped the stack over and wrote a short message on the back. She signed it and then tapped it with her wand, the message scrambled into complete gibberish.

She rolled the stack up and handed it to Nym. "Carry out your orders immediately."

"Yes, mum." Nym said with a cheeky grin and strode from the room.

}-{

Harry finished tying his shoe and smiled at Daphne's back. His girls had done a marvelous job of helping him, now he really needed to get himself sorted out and moving. Since that battle in his head he felt different, as though some great burden had been removed from his shoulders.

"Daph?"

She smiled over her shoulder as she finished brushing her hair out, "What?"

"Thank you for helping me. I'm going to find that book on Occlumency that Mine gave me and do some more reading. Unless there's something else you think we should be doing?"

"No, I think that's an important thing. I'll check on the others and see what they're saying about your Godfather." Daph said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, that reminds me, what did Nym mean about a milf?" he asked.

Daphne shrugged. "I haven't a clue, though it seemed to be initials for something. We'll have to see if Mine understood her, though I think we all got the impression her mum could be having sex with Remus."

He nodded, "Yeah, I got that picture too." He shrugged, "They're both adults. Though if we're in charge of this house is it our responsibility to tell her husband?"

"No. It isn't, lovers won't be denied, if they wish it they'll find somewhere. I'm sure even if we don't have a suite at school we'll do the same, maybe just for the fun of it."

With that thought she left him searching for his trunk. Which he finally found in the back of the closet, and discovered it was empty. Apparently the demented elf had unpacked his trunk, he finally found the books tucked into the nightstand beside the bed. Thinking the elf had the right of it he piled some pillows up and propped himself up in bed.

But when he started reading the book he found himself criticizing it for the lack of detail. _I can do better than that._

And then he was inside a veritable mental fortress that was locking things down faster than he could think of them. _Woah, ok now what have I done?_

 _Hey Harry_ , he said to himself.

What? Himself?

Then he was sitting in a small room, with two stiff wooden chairs, the other chair was occupied by his mirror image.

 _Who are…_ he found himself saying to the copy, who did the same thing to him. Then they both sighed and sat there looking at one another.

 _This is ridiculous._

 _I agree._

 _So where did you come from?_

 _Me? I'm me, where did you come from?_

 _Wait, is this like what Mine did?_

 _You mean making multiple copies of her mind to… What was she doing with them?_

 _Thinking about different things._

 _Yeah._

 _Ok, so it looks like I learned Occlumency from snake-lips._

 _That's a fairly disturbing statement you know Harry._

Harry shrugged. _Do you dispute the fact?_

 _Well no._

 _Let's see if we can get a handle on these defenses then, I don't want to hurt Daph when she tries to test my progress later._

 _Oh, no that would be bad. Look at that thing!_

 _Yikes._

 _Maybe we need to somehow mark Daph as safe so all of this just ignores her._

 _That might be easier, and we'll still keep all of these cool defenses!_

 _We'll have to add Mine and Lene too._

 _Lene?_

 _Marlene, come on Potter keep up with our women!_

 _What do you mean?_

 _I mean that witch is mine! I can't stand the thought of some other man having her, so I'm going to claim her._

 _Well yeah, I can see your point there. Good idea._

 _It's a pretty cool thing being able to discuss things with yourself!_

}-{

(AN. Warning, Weasleys ahead!)

Luna was lounging in the pond on the Weasley side of the forest. She liked the sound of those words so she repeated them, Luna lounging, it was perfect. Well not quite perfect she guessed. Ron was trying to sneak up on her, which was patently impossible to do, she was a seer! Oh, well at least she'd have a little more fun with the pea-sized brain of his before he was arrested.

She leaned forward and twisted to stand in one fluid motion, which shifted her torso from leaning back where Ron was aiming to a foot to the left, causing him to miss and fall face first into the pond.

Instead of looking at him she stood and climbed the soft earth that made up the bank. She brushed her fingers over her pale ass, knocking some dirt off and stunning Ronald for a moment when he saw her butt.

Luna giggled, then wiggled, because it rhymed, and started running away from the Burrow. Ron was soon huffing after her. She loved the feel of the breeze against her bare skin and the slight bounce of her chest at every step.

She paused for another one of his breaks. The idiot was holding his wand, while he leaned against a tree catching his breath.

The young seer gave him almost two minutes before sending a wandless hex at his wand hand. He swatted the tree, thinking he was being bitten, the tree obligingly snapping the wand in two. "Come on Ronald!" she said wiggling her bare ass at him again.

He grunted and charged, like an enraged bull.

She laughed again and headed straight for the Burrow. It was time for the raid, she didn't want one Weasley left out.

}-{

"Come on Penny, focus love." Percy said, trying to hold himself still relative to his fiancée's ass that he was skewering.

"Working on it." She said, spitting out another of Molly's curly hairs before getting her mouth back to work on the giant hairy cunt.

"Oh, Percy, you did so well picking this marvelous girl. Only a few more months and you'll be allowed to marry her."

"Never heard of this type of bride price." Penny said, between slurps of her tongue.

"Purebloods can set whatever price they wish dear." Molly explained. "So you have to make me cum three hundred different days, each one with Percy's marvelous cock buried to the hilt in your ass. If he cums before I do, it doesn't count."

Penny had a full body shiver at that, and then tensed her ass muscles as hard as she could. Percy shivered, but managed to hold off his climax.

}-{

The Auror strike team ghosted into the Burrow. The leader was Valerie Norwood, one of the three Hit Witches, along with her were ten female Aurors. They were under a selective notice-me-not spell and anything one of them said would only be heard by the others, wherever they were in the home.

"You know where to go people, be there." Valerie said softly and stopped in the kitchen. While her team investigated she put up an anti-apparition and anti-portkey ward.

"Girls room is empty."

"Adults room has three present, the mother, Percy and his fiancée. They're involved in sex."

"Well, all three are adults, nothing we can arrest them on there. Two of you stay to observe." Valerie said with a shrug.

"Oh Merlin."

"No, you dolt, explain what you've found!" she barked.

"We're in the twins room. They're working on a potion, in the meanwhile their girlfriends are barely conscious. Each of them has their fist buried in the other."

"Again, they're of age, two of you stay to observe, move on."

"Now that has to be illegal!"

Valerie shook her head and waited for the explanation. Meanwhile she unlatched a secret compartment behind the spice rack. Bingo.

"Is it legal for a ghoul with a ten inch cock to fuck the daylights out of a sixteen year old girl?"

"That would be a NO." she said. Adding the vials of lust and love potions to evidence bags. "Tell me how a Ghoul is able to do that? Don't they have like two inch cocks?"

"Ma'am." The reply came. "Well let's see, the girl's barely conscious, the ghoul's got her hips in his grip and is behind her, his huge cock keeps pounding into the girl's cunt. It looks like there is a gold chain around the base of the ghoul's cock."

"Ok, stun them both, kill the Ghoul, and collect the girl's memory of how this started. Team?"

"Yes, ready, check."

"I've got love potions labeled Potter, Granger, Spinnett, Bell, Johnson, and even one for Arthur here. Stun and arrest everyone. What's this one? Hmmm also for Bell." Valarie said and added them to their evidence bags for later investigation.

Molly's juice erupted all over Penny's face, causing the younger witch to jerk back, clenching her ass, Percy came inside her in a massive torrent that left him in agony from his abused balls. The stunners hit them a moment later.

"Excuse me Miss Hit Witch?" Luna called from the back door of the Burrow.

"Girl, why are you naked?" Valerie said, turning her attention to the young girl.

"I've been chased all over the place by Ronald Weasley, he's been trying to rape me."

"Where is he?" she spat, stepping onto the porch.

"Right on the steps, he's too tired to walk."

"Got him." She said as the stunner impacted the young idiot.

"Thank you Miss Hit Witch." Luna said and gave the robed woman a gentle hug of thanks.

"Team, the youngest male was chasing a girl around outside, someone come collect him from the steps. Kestes and Holmes, escort papa Weasley to a holding cell for questioning. Don't make his arrest public, he might not have a clue what's going on here."

}-{

Daphne found her Aunt talking to Mrs. Tonks in the sitting room. There was no sign of Remus, Hermione, Ginny or Nym. A quick check of the wards told her that Ginny and Hermione were talking in Ginny's room and the others were no longer in the house. Lord Black continued to sleep in his suite.

"So what's the diagnosis?" she asked as they paused their conversation.

"It's not good." Mrs. Tonks said, turning to her. "He needs a mind healer, and I'm not that. Had it been a curse, well if wishes were fishes and all that. His magic is in fair shape, physically his body seems to have recovered well from his ordeal."

"So how do we help him?" Daphne asked.

"We need to get him to France." Mrs. Tonks said. "Or some country that won't throw him straight into prison, and get him to a competent healer."

"Was he obliviated"

"Perhaps a dozen times, it gets murky in there and like I said it's not my specialty."

Daphne got the impression the woman had decided to spend more of her time riding Remus instead of doing a proper investigation, but it really didn't matter. They needed a mind healer and they couldn't trust any of them in this country.

"House Black thanks you Madam Tonks. Is there any reason to keep him unconscious?"

"No, though he may experience further pain as his mind tries to sort out what is real. He shouldn't be a danger to anyone else. I did see some fairly deviant sexual behavior, but I don't know if it really happened or was part of an obliviation or merely a dream."

Daphne escorted the older woman from the house, while her aunt shadowed them. Once they were alone in the parlor she let her emotions show. "Aunt M, do you have any contacts in France?"

"Not really." She said and hugged her niece. "I can go through official channels, but those would see him back in prison."

"We need a way to get off of the British Isle." Daphne said.

"Lady Black?" Walburga's portrait called to get their attention.

"Yes?"

"The Black family has permanent portkeys to each of their properties. They are stored in the Lord's study. There should still be a villa on the French Riviera, the mind healers in France should be able to help my son."

"That is truly helpful Madam Black." Marlene said and gave the surprised portrait a curtsy.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Harry was really glad he'd had that conversation with himself. He was an alright bloke, just needed to learn to communicate better. And that was the first order of business, communicate to his girls how he felt and what that meant.

He found Hermione on the fourth floor landing, just coming out of Ginny's room.

"Hey." He said and pulled her into a hug before giving her a gentle kiss. When they parted, a bit breathless, he noticed a lack of Ginny. "How's our ward?"

"Um." She said still a bit dazed from his kisses which made that second Harry in his head do a weird dance and then resolve to learn how to actually dance, that stuff from the Yule Ball didn't count.

"Are you ok?" he said kindly, putting his arm around her waist to guide her down the stairs. "Have you recovered from all of no-name's knowledge?"

"No." She said and slowly shook her head. "I've been running on just two of me, not sorting that stuff out until tomorrow. Some of it's going to be horrendous."

"Yeah, I can imagine." He said, helping her down the stairs, though she seemed to have recovered he still thought it would be a good idea.

"I got his knowledge of Occlumency that was weird, meeting myself for the first time. I think all of you are on the safe list now, some of his defenses are really nasty."

"Oh, good. Are you sure it was you that you met?"

"Yeah, can't really be anyone else in my head can it?"

She bit her lower lip and looked at him, pausing on the second floor landing. "Well if you're sure."

"Yeah." He said and gave her a quick kiss and a grin. "Hey girls, wait there." He called when he heard Daphne from the first floor.

"Girls?" Marlene said with a raised eyebrow when he and Hermione had joined them in the parlor.

"Yes." He said firmly. "Hermione, Daphne, do you have any objection to Marlene joining us?"

"No." Daphne said immediately while Hermione looked shocked, which was shared by the object of his discussion.

"Are you sure?" Marlene said softly, her eyes troubled.

"Very." He said and turned to his first friend. "I know you have objections, but are not against the idea. Talk to me."

"It's too soon." She said, her hand trembling where it touched his wrist. "I need to sit." She muttered and took a half-step before Harry picked her up and carried her to the couch.

He sat, cradling his most precious in his lap and then wondered where he'd found that name.

 _Work on better pet names!_

 _On it._

"Hermione?" he said gently and brushed his fingers through her hair.

"I'm here love." She said looking up at him and then twisting to look at Marlene and Daphne who both stood a few feet away looking apprehensive. "Come here you two."

She motioned with her free hand and caught Daphne's as she got close.

"I'm just a bit shocked. Yes, I agree she is one of us. I was concerned that she'd get in trouble more than anything. I think we need to wait until Harry's recognized as an adult." She said and got her other hand free from her lap to take Marlene's hand as well. "I've only ever felt connected to Harry and Daph, but all of our magic seems to want to be together."

"Mine certainly does." Harry said. "Wait that doesn't work to well does it. I mean that my magic wants the three of you and damn anyone who says otherwise."

Marlene laughed at his confusion. "So what is my nickname?"

"Lene." He answered immediately. "At least that's the one I came up with earlier when I realized I couldn't stand the thought of you with another man."

"Well I'll answer to it at least." Marlene said with a soft pout. "Now are you sure you're willing to be associated with an older woman?"

"Yes, in fact I am more comfortable knowing that all three of you are older than I am. I'm certain it won't be an issue in a few decades."

"Well as I've said, I'm willing to try. Once the courts recognize you're an adult, I'll have to give you a consort ring, I can't be yours."

"Oh." Harry said.

"Since McKinnon is the same rank as Potter, she's got to maintain her family name that means you're her consort." Daphne said as though he should have understood that to begin with.

"That makes my head hurt." He said with a crooked smile, then shifted Hermione to sit beside him on the couch so he could stand and pull Marlene into his arms.

"Oh." She said, looking into his emerald green eyes.

"I really need to get taller." He laughed and then pulled her down so he could kiss her gently on her red-painted lips.

"Well if she wore shorter heels you'd at least come up to her nose." Daphne said.

"We can get him heels to wear?" Hermione giggled at the thought, causing the two who were kissing to laugh and look at her. "Oh, kiss her better than that." She admonished.

Harry wagged a finger at Hermione, but then thought better of it and turned back to Marlene who was smiling gently down at him. Far more seriously than a minute ago he pulled her down for a kiss. This one was more involved and his magic surged around the room causing all three girls to squeak.

Hermione and Daphne joined in the hug and the four of them stood there for a few minutes until Harry and Marlene finally parted.

"Thank you." Harry said to her and then captured her lips for a short kiss, when he pulled away from Marlene he kissed his other ladies briefly and sighed contentedly. "One more thing." He said looking into Hermione's eyes. "No more."

"Yes, Harry." The brilliant brunette said and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry if I've pushed you."

He laughed and tweaked her nose gently. "No you're not. This is precisely what you've wanted."

"Can we sit?" Hermione said and promptly did so. "I'd like to go over how all this happened once, to clear the air at least among us as to what happened when."

"If you feel the need to justify yourself." Harry said playfully to his witch, while Hermione patted his knee.

"Back in our third year, Harry and I had a falling out over a broom he received as a gift. I went behind his back to McGonagall, which I now admit was wrong of me. But while we were not talking Daphne and I formed a relationship."

Daphne shrugged, "We were a pair of thirteen year old precocious girls with a time turner. What did you expect? I regret nothing." She said making Harry laugh but raise his eyebrow.

"Towards the end of the year, Harry and I made up and became friends again, but I was terrified to tell him about Daphne. We were in different houses and then there's the whole stigma of being a witches witch."

"And then in fourth year Harry's name came out of the Goblet." Daphne said. "And everyone abandoned him, except Mine."

"We spent almost all of our spare time together trying to get him ready for the tasks."

"And then after the first task, we had sex." Harry said.

"It was fairly spontaneous." Hermione said, blushing and looking at the table.

"She told me about it the next day." Daphne said. "And we couldn't decide what to do about us. She and I had continued to meet one another occasionally in fourth year, just wasn't very often with the tournament."

Hermione shrugged. "Anyway we got through the year and I asked the Headmaster for help. Then all of this happened."

"So I at least now have the whole timeline." Marlene said, "not sure if we really needed that, but thanks."

"Did anyone fill Lene in on what happened in my head?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione said while Daphne shook her head.

"What happened?"

"When I picked up that locket thing, it attacked me. I had a fight in my head with no-nose and he was winning before the ladies here came in. Just where did the Sword of Gryffindor come from?" he suddenly asked.

"I wished for it, thinking I would just get what your magic thought of as it. But since I was able to bring it out here it's got to be the real one." Hermione said.

"So we were wrestling it, Daphne stabbed it with her goblin blade but it didn't seem to care, then Hermione put Godric's sword in his head and that did him in." Harry said.

"Then the whole construct dissolved into black mist which contained his, Voldemort's, memories." Hermione said.

"And then she got drunk on them." Daphne added with a laugh causing their brunette companion to blush and look down.

"I don't think anyone here is shocked that Hermione Granger gets drunk on knowledge." Harry said. "Now so far I've realized I learned Occlumency from that, and I feel a lot more confident than I used to."

"Do you want me to test you?" Daphne asked.

"Not just yet." He said quickly. "I've tried to make it safe for the three of you, but I'm not positive I've done it right. Some of these defenses look downright vicious."

"So that covers what went on in your head, but we've had two more conversations you need to know about." Marlene said.

"First Ginny gave her evidence, with Hermione and Nym there. It basically condemned all of the younger Weasleys and their mum, I sent Nym with the evidence to one of my Hit Witch co-workers to arrest them immediately."

"Won't that have an effect on Harry's trial?" Daphne asked.

"What?" Harry asked.

"One of Dumbledore's prominent allies, Arthur, will be implicated. It can't help you during your trial." Daphne clarified.

"Hmm." Marlene said, "It really depends on how soon that trial is, compared to when the news breaks on this."

"And there's no word on when the trial will be yet." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Well since our defense is basically that I was already an adult it should be a moot point." Harry said. "So what else happened?"

"Mrs. Tonks came and checked out Sirius." Marlene said. "We found out from Ginny that he was obliviated, but Mrs. Tonks believes it was quite a few times."

"He needs a mind healer, in France." Daphne added.

"How are we going to get him there?" Hermione asked.

"Madam Black told us about permanent portkeys that should be in the Lord's study." Marlene said. "One of them goes to a villa in France."

"Cool." He said. "How's Ginny taking all this?"

"Very well I believe. She realizes that the morals her mum taught her are not socially acceptable, which is why she first told us something was wrong. I was just helping her sort out her room." Hermione said. "She was going to spend some time looking through her new wardrobe. There were a lot of things that we bought that she hardly saw."

Harry snapped his fingers and pointed at Marlene. "Daph where did that stuff go we bought Lene?"

"You bought me something?"

"Yep." Harry said.

"In with my stuff." Daphne said and turned to her aunt after a nod from Harry. "We got you a nice dress and a pair of boots. You'll love them."

Marlene broke into a broad smile and then laughed warmly for a moment. "Thank you, I'm sure I will."

}-{

The front door clicked open, quickly followed by Remus Lupin, "Hello in the house?" he said and then noticed them sitting in the parlor.

"Remus." Harry said happily. "Where have you been?"

"I went out to get some lunch. Didn't want to impose." The ragged man said making all of them frown.

"Remus Lupin." Daphne said, standing and walking quickly over to the suddenly worried man. She took his hands and looked up into his grey eyes. "As I am the Lady of this house, don't you dare insult me like that ever again. You've proven your loyalty to Sirius and Harry, therefore you will be treated as a welcome guest."

"Um." Remus said, looking over Daphne's blonde tresses to Harry.

"Don't look at me for help." Harry said with a laugh. "You brought that on yourself. For what it's worth I heartily agree with my lady."

"I'm not joking with you Mr. Lupin," Daphne said pulling his attention back to her. "The honor of House Black is a tender thing. I am insulted by your actions. My elf provided us all with a nice lunch. I'm sure there would have been a place for you had you stayed instead of sneaking out the door after helping Mrs. Tonks."

"I didn't want your charity." He said tears dripping down his cheeks.

"No," She said, shaking her long hair. "House Black doesn't ever give out charity. We pay our debts."

"I've got an idea." Harry said, coming over to the doorway and taking Daphne's hands from where she still gripped Lupin's. "Mrs. Tonks recommends Sirius go to France to see a mind healer. I'm hiring you to take him, via permanent Black family portkey, to the villa on the French Riviera and see to that."

"Um…"

"I recommend you take my husband's offer." Daphne said, sliding into Harry's arms.

"Well ok." Remus said after another minute's thought.

"Great." Harry said and clapped the werewolf on the shoulder with his free hand. "Now if you don't have a room here yet, go find one and move in. Only Sirius and Ginny Weasley are in the house in addition to us. You know where my Godfather is, Ginny's been moved to the other suite on the fourth floor."

"Well ok." Remus said. "When do you think we should head to France?"

"After Sirius wakes up and we can verify the existence of this portkey." Marlene said from the couch. "We'll also need to give you both some money until Sirius can contact Gringotts bank in Paris."

"Yeah, that makes sense I guess." Remus said looking up the stairs. "I'll just be in my room then."

"You come down for dinner when called!" Daphne said firmly.

"Yes," Remus said then suddenly grinned and looked at Harry. "She's a lot like Lily." He cuffed the stunned Harry on the shoulder and headed up the stairs two at a time.

Harry looked at Marlene who shrugged. "I started Hogwarts their last year, but no one questioned the Head Girl, that's for sure."

"Come back to the couch." Hermione called, pulling their attention back to the room. "It's far more comfortable to sit and talk here.

"Yes, and some tea." Daphne said causing Kreature to appear. "I believe we're all still full from your excellent lunch, just some tea to sip while we talk."

"Yes, Madam Black." The elf said with a deep bow and popped away.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Harry asked once they were all sitting down.

"Tell them about the Dursleys." Hermione said gently. "Or I can if you wish."

Harry shivered and clenched his hands together briefly. "Why?" he asked, keeping his head down and his voice controlled.

"They deserve to know." Hermione said and put her hand on his thigh.

"Yeah, you're right." He said, "But I hate this topic."

"What?" Marlene asked.

"My relatives hate me and anything to do with magic." Harry said, slowly looking up, but not meeting their eyes. "They called me Freak and boy, I didn't know my name until the first day of school and the teacher got mad at me for not answering when she called it. I couldn't do well in school because my cousin is dumber than Ron, and I got in trouble for looking better than him."

The room was fairly silent as Kreature appeared with the tea service and poured each of them a cup and vanished.

"So I know some of what Daph went through, except my guardians didn't heal me. My own magic did what it could, or I probably would have died while I was growing up."

"Is that why you're so short?" Marlene asked.

Harry shrugged while Hermione made a sharp hissing noise.

"What I mean is, that if your magic was busy repairing you, it couldn't put that energy into growing you taller and stronger."

"Nutrient potions." Daphne said. "My healer made me take a lot of them after I got away from my parents."

"Well they wouldn't hurt him to take." Marlene said. "Daphne dear, send your elf for a month's supply from the Apothecary in Wales, not that cheap one in Diagon."

Daphne looked Harry in the eye and when he nodded she called for Kreature and sent him to purchase the potions.

"Whether or not that helps, we should have Mrs. Tonks look at you too." Hermione said.

}-{

"Hello Arthur."

"Amy? Oh, my thank you. I've been left alone here for hours!"

Amelia Bones sat in one of the two chairs and observed the frantic father. "Sit, we've got a lot to discuss."

Arthur quickly did so and tried not to ask what was going on.

"One of my Hit Witches interviewed your daughter earlier today."

"Is Ginny alright?" he asked, jumping to his feet.

"SIT!" Amelia barked and he collapsed back into the chair. "She told of some very disturbing things going on under your nose at your home. First and foremost is Molly's frequent use of both Obliviations and Love/Lust potions."

"No, oh Merlin no." he said, trembling in fright.

Amelia nodded. "You should be starting to feel withdrawal about now. You've been dosed for over two decades. There were some very disturbing things going on at your house today when my Aurors arrived. I will not go into the disgusting details at this time, but I have three girls in St. Mungo's who are going to take months to recover from the potions in their systems, another who was chased all over by your youngest son and narrowly avoided being raped. And I'm still not sure what was going on with Penelope and Percy, though neither of them were under the influence of potions."

"Oh my. Why?"

Amelia shrugged, "Sometimes the answers make less sense than the crimes. I do have an arrest warrant out for your older sons as well. We're especially interested in William's new Veela girlfriend and whether or not she's been dosed with potions as well."

"What can I do to help?" Arthur said, his hands clenched tightly together, though both were shaking fairly hard at the thoughts going through his mind.

"Well first you're going to visit St. Mungo's under guard to have a full workup done on you and what's in your system. You will not see any of your family or the girls involved at this time."

"Is Ginny ok?" Arthur said after a violent nod of his head.

Amelia looked into his eyes for a full minute before she answered. "In case you were not told this by Molly. She is a Ward of House Potter. Mr. Potter claimed his title, Miss Granger is the Lady Designate for House Potter. Ginevra was taken on a shopping trip in Diagon, supervised by a Hit Witch, who informed me that your daughter is safe."

Arthur started crying into his hands, rocking slowly sideways on the chair.

Amelia stood and hesitated a moment before patting his shoulder and walking from the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Would any of you mind a shopping trip to a muggle jeweler?" Hermione asked.

"What have you just thought of?" Daphne asked, pressing her nose lightly against Hermione's who merely grinned and pressed a gentle kiss to her lover's pouting lips.

"I have no objection." Marlene said and looked at her robe. "Though a change of attire is required prior to such a jaunt."

Harry shrugged. "Sure, lets."

"But we need to be back for dinner." Daphne said, her eyes still intently looking into Hermione's who easily bore the attention without cracking her resolve.

"So we'll all change and meet back here in twenty minutes?" Marlene asked.

"Make it thirty." Harry said, "and I'm going to invite Gin."

Hermione took a step back from Daphne and grinned. "Thank you." She virtually sang and headed up the stairs two at a time.

Harry and Daphne shared a look, he then shrugged and she slowly shook her head. Neither of them had been able to guess what the brilliant one was up to, but they were willing to go along with it regardless.

"Kreacher?" Daphne called as Harry and Marlene headed up the stairs.

"Mistress?" he said after popping in a few feet in front of her.

"We are going out. Should Lord Black awake, feed him and tell him to rest. We will be back in time for dinner."

"Yes, Mistress." The elf said with a deep bow before popping away.

Ginny was the most nervous of the group, but Marlene took her hand and the young girl calmed dramatically. Cars and huge red buses were not that bad with a Hit Witch beside her. She actually started to enjoy the scenery and the fact she had nice, new, clothes on too.

Marlene McKinnon was a noble lady, and it showed in her bearing and attire. She wore an Alexander McQueen white sundress that displayed most of her long legs. Men went out of their way to open doors for her. One even stepped into traffic to force them to stop so she and her party could cross.

Harry scowled at them, but Marlene just laughed it off.

Daphne, though only fifteen, looked considerably older in her red sundress and heeled sandals. She walked tightly against Harry's side, not comfortable or familiar with their current location.

Hermione led the way, first having Marlene apparate them all to Kings Cross Station and then a fairly short walk to Hirschfelds on Hatton Gardens. The jewelers was ancient by muggle standards, but was still not as old as Albus Dumbledore having been established when he was a boy of thirteen.

The young lady pulled the door open and hurried inside without a moment's hesitation. She quickly found one of the sales associates and inquired about custom jewelry. Two minutes later she was sitting at the counter in conversation with one of the jewelers who began sketching a design on a piece of graph paper. The others wandered the store, inspecting the many displays. Marlene kept a light hold of the ginger's hand while they discussed what they were looking at.

Harry stood a bit apart with Daphne at his shoulder. She was listening in on Hermione's discussion, while he merely waited for his first true friend to divulge her idea.

"Harry, come here." She called and the boy obliged. She held up his fringe, displaying his famous scar to the man.

"Just like that?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm thinking 3-4 centimeters in total length." She said letting Harry's fringe go and allowing him to sit beside her.

"And the metal?"

"18 karat Gold, Silver and Platinum, make the gold ones the longest and the Platinum ones the smallest."

"What are you up to?" Harry asked.

"Earrings." Daphne said, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders causing Hermione to smile broadly and turn back to the jeweler.

"Let me check on some prices for you and I'll be back." He said and headed into the back area.

"So each of us will have Harry's famous lightning-bolt dangling from our ears?" Daphne asked.

Hermione nodded, still smiling happily at her idea.

"Get Marlene a set as well." Harry said.

"If it's going to be our symbol then your Ward should have something similar." Daphne said. "How about a pendant on a necklace?"

"Sure." Harry said and motioned for Marlene to join them.

"What are we here for?" she asked softly so as not to disturb the other customers.

"Harry Potter Lightning-Bolt earrings." Daphne said in reply.

"Oh." Marlene said and then slowly smiled. "I'll take a pair too."

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Would you like a necklace with a gold lightning-bolt on it?" Hermione asked her.

Ginny shrugged, "Sure, I've never had any real jewelry. This stuff looks amazing."

Harry shared a pointed look with Hermione before turning back to his Ward. "Pick out a bracelet or something else you like Gin."

Her bright brown eyes went wide, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said and she allowed Marlene to pull her back to one of the displays they had looked at earlier.

"You'll make a good father." Daphne said and kissed the stunned boy's cheek. She too then wandered along the display case, a red tipped finger trailing just over the glass surface.

In the end Marlene had to pay the bill, she had a credit card. She laughed it off when Harry complained, he needed to come prepared for these things she said. The custom jewelry would be ready in a few weeks, certainly before September first.

Ginny had picked out a gold charm-bracelet and three charms to go on it, a castle, a dragon, and a crystal unicorn with a gold plated horn. Hermione had also convinced her to pick out three pairs of earrings, though her ears were not yet pierced, Marlene promised to take care of that when they were back at Black Manor.

Daphne purchased an anklet with an inch long Egyptian Ankh dangling from it.

}-{

"Miss Clearwater?" The Auror asked as she came into the holding cell. The girl looked a bit bedraggled, but the medi-witches had cleaned her up and dressed her in a simple grey robe.

"Where's Percy?" the former Head Girl asked immediately, not acknowledging the question.

The woman's eyebrow rose and she said. "I'm Auror Angela Michaels. I believe your name is Penelope Clearwater. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Penelope said irritably, "I want to know where my fiancée is and why the hell we're not together."

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot divulge that information at this time. I'm here to question you about a few things." Auror Michaels said and waited for the girl to calm down.

"I know as a half-blood, I don't have many rights. But I do know you cannot keep us apart. Percy will speak for me, I'm under his protection." Penelope said holding up her engagement ring.

"I'll be back."

"Remember you have two hours to inform the Minister of Percy's arrest, he is a member of his staff. I hope you're following the law!"

The Auror slipped from the room without answering that question. She hoped her bosses had done what they were supposed to do. Right now she had to go find out. She wasn't taking the fall for them!

}-{

Captain Shacklebolt, damn that sounded good. The newly minted Auror Captain checked on the rest of his team. They were dressed as civilians for this mission, apprehend the oldest Weasley boy, and the French cunt with him.

The boy was a curse breaker for the dirty thieving goblins, and considered a very dangerous man. The French cunt was an animal, to be put down before she seduced the whole family of purebloods.

Their targets strode out of the bank just before closing. The French chit waving her ass as the stunned boy followed her as fast as he could without running.

He signaled his men, they had to get out of sight of the goblin guards or there would be an incident over this.

Kingsley lined his shot up, he'd take out the boy before he could do anything, the other members of his team were going after the cunt.

 _BAM,_ Kingsley said in his head as his bludgeoning hex knocked the boy forward onto his face. _Perfect hit, on the back of the head_.

}-{

"The apparition point is at the ozzer end of the alley." Fleur said, not looking back at Bill. They were about a hundred feet from it when she sensed an attack.

Her wand flashed into her hand and she danced to the side as spells converged on her former position and on William who crumpled to the ground instantly.

Fleur's wand blurred as she immobilized two of their attackers with a simple flying chain that shoved them against the wall and pinned them there, breaking one man's arm and choking the other. Then she was moving once again as two more spells converged on her former position.

She caught another man, who had just missed her with a bone-breaker, with a hex that removed his wand-hand.

"Hold!" Barked the last attacker. "Miss, stop, we're Aurors." He said and held his wand defensively.

"Zee French Aurors do not attack innocents through ambush!" she spat, a shimmering shield materializing around her.

"We thought you were under duress."

"Bah." She scoffed. "I am Veela!"

"Miss, I'm sorry." The tall black man said, holding up his badge.

"Bon, why are you attacking moi?"

"Our orders were to bring you both in for questioning." He said.

"Why?" she said, slowly.

He sighed, looked around at the gathering crowd and then back to the angry witch. "There was a raid at his home earlier today, certain things were discovered that led us to believe you might also be a victim."

"I am Veela Monsieur Auror, my will is far stronger than mere potions."

The Aurors breath hitched. "Can we take this conversation to headquarters?"

"You may take William and your injured. That man is looking blue." Fleur said in clearer English now that she was calming down.

Kingsley quickly moved to dispel her conjured chain, but it flickered and remained.

She cast a spell and it vanished causing both men to collapse to the ground, one gasping for breath and the other cradling his shattered arm.

"Johnson and Conners, take the Weasley boy and Koop to St. Mungo's immediately. Keep the boy under guard." Kingsley ordered and the two Aurors moved quickly. One summoning Koop's severed hand just before they portkeyed away.

Moments later she was alone with the tall black Auror who had yet to introduce himself.

"Your name?" she asked.

"Auror Captain Kingsley Shacklebolt." He said it rather bitterly she thought.

She finally allowed her shield to vanish and stepped forward. Her sudden motion caused the Auror to flinch back. "Do you have a Portkey to your Ministry?" she asked, her wand still at the ready.

"Yes." He said, pulling a crumpled quill from his inner pocket and holding it out to her. When she took it he tapped it with his wand and they vanished.

Fleur landed like a cat, the Auror stumbled into a wall but remained on his feet. When he looked at her again she had a badge in his face. "I work for my Fazzer, you will remember he is the Chief of our Intelligence."

Kingsley gulped, this had not gone how he'd expected at all. Fortunately he was rescued by the arrival of his boss.

"Auror, why are you incapable of discretion?" Amelia Bones spat at him and then waved him away before he could answer.

 _Merlin she hadn't used his new title._ Kingsley slunk away to report to Dumbledore.

"Miss Delacour, please come to my office, so we can speak privately."

"Oui." Fleur said, her wand flashed a spell over her to fix her appearance, before vanishing into her holster as she strode along the marble hallway beside the Head of the English Law.

Once they were alone Amelia shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss. I should have sent less violent Aurors, or a lone Hit Wizard. I take it you are not under the influence of love potions created by Molly Weasley?"

"Non, though they are likely in my system if you test for them." Fleur said and sat casually in one of the guest chairs. "William gave me a piece of chocolate cake he said his mozzer had baked for me. I ate it and could immediately tell it was laced with a love potion. Fortunately it was one that does not work on Veela. When I told William he grew angry and asked me to accompany him to his parent's ome to confront her for interfering in his life."

"Are you and Mr. Weasley involved?"

"Non," Fleur said shaking her head. "We are boze under contract wiz Gringotts. E is training me in ward construction and zeir breaking. Zee Goblins required us to accept a charm to prevent, as you say, us becoming involved." She shoved her hair back over her left ear, revealing a small fang dangling from her lobe.

"So what does that do?"

"If eizer of us feel lust toward another wearing the charm we will feel equally sick to our stomachs. Trust me et is sufficient a deterrent."

"Well we raided their house this morning. I'm glad to discover you are not another victim." Amelia said.

"I have always had to protect myself from lecherous men. The only man under a hundred I have met who can truly resist my allure is your National Hero, Monsieur Potter, though we came to more pleasant accommodations after the Tournament was settled."

"Wait, I read he is involved with two ozzer." Amelia broke off her sentence and shook her head. "Sorry, two other girls, Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass."

"Oui, 'ermione is a wonderfully talented witch." Fleur said with a gentle sigh. "But that is not your concern. How can I assist in this investigation?"

Amelia shook her head, "I don't believe you can. We have our evidence for the other crimes. Oh, I would like to get that sample of your blood showing the potions in your system."

"Certainement." Fleur said. "And zen I must inform Gringotts of William's condition, once I learn it of course."

}-{

The healer at St. Mungo's shook his head, looking at the damage caused by the spell to the back of the man's head. He'd need a mental healer as well. The poor man had certainly suffered brain damage.

"Get McFarra, he works for Gringotts, bound to have all kinds of protections in there." Healer Jameson called to one of the nurses who hurried away.

The broken nose and abraded skin on his face was easily repaired as was the cracked skull. The mind healer arrived a few minutes after the other injuries were healed.

"What we got?" Grace McFarra asked as she waddled into the room. The woman was nine months pregnant and promptly sat in one of the chairs.

"Gringotts employee, got hit in the back of the head with a bludgeoner." Healer Jameson said and handed her the chart.

"Hmm." She said flipping to the second page where the information she was interested in was recorded. "Curse breaker? Core." She said shaking her head. "Ok, give me a few and I'll go see what's left of the poor sod's grey matter."

"What do you mean?" one of the Auror guards asked.

But the mind healer was already in a trance so Healer Jameson answered. "Shocks to the head can destroy the brain inside. We have no spells or potions to make it work again, it's one of the great mysteries of healing, how does our brain actually work?"

"Oh." The guard said and went back outside to mutter with the other one.

"Alright Jimmy, I'm ready." Grace said.

Healer Jameson propped open the man's bloodshot eyes and she slipped inside.

There were very few mental healers to begin with, and only two of them were under Gringott's seal. The oaths designed to prevent bank secrets from being removed from their employees were extensive and could attack her, but she had the counters in her mind, ready to disarm them if needed.

Lots of sealed chambers, each under the G symbol, they looked undamaged so she pushed ahead. Deeper and farther back in his past.

Oh, what's that? She thought as she came across a blackened area. That was a poorly done obliviation. No Ministry or Gringotts seal, so it wasn't a legitimate one. She delved into it and quickly reconstructed the thoughts.

Grace clutched her distended belly in horror. Damn. It was a brief conversation with his mum, from quite a while ago.

"Hey mum, how's Ginny doing?" William said walking into his parents room. He looked to be in his final years of school, if not just graduated.

Ginny was a recently born baby, suckling at her mother's breast while the other one hung in the open waiting for her.

"Your daughter's doing wonderful son." Molly said with a happy smile.

"That's great. I'm glad I could help mum."

 _Yeowch, that was sick_. She thought and moved on. That hadn't been caused by the spell to his head, someone had removed the memory. Well it was restored now. She shrugged and delved into another obliviated spot.

"Oh, William you're cocks so much bigger than your father's. That's it. I love teenaged stamina!"

 _YIKES._ Grace thought and damn near obliviated that memory herself. Then she doubled over in pain and was suddenly back in her own body. "Ohh." She said as her water broke and drenched the chair.

"Gotcha." Healer Jameson said and levitated her into the next room and signaling for a maternity crew.

"Jimmy!" Grace said between contractions, taking Healer Jameson's hand. "That man's mum seduced him and had his baby, a girl!" she said between clenched teeth and then had to close her eyes as more pain shot through her.

"Wow." He said. "What about the spell damage?"

Grace shook her head, "Didn't get to it."

"Ok, I'll take care of it. Congratulations Gracie." He said and left the soon to be mother as the maternity healer and her crew rushed into the chamber.

}-{

"I'm back!" Albus Dumbledore announced as he arrived in the parlor of number 12 Grimmauld Place in a ball of fire. His clothing had changed into that typically worn by British explorers of bygone centuries. Pith hat and pipe with khaki pants, dragonhide boots, and a crisp white shirt.

"Hmm." He said looking around the room and puffing gently on the pipe. "No one present." He clenched the pipe in his teeth and used his wand to conjure a note to Mr. Potter. He wasn't about to go exploring the upper floors of the house. Searching through Ministry archives was one thing, possibly interrupting coitus, a spine shivering other thing all together.

Now he was off to locate that ham and cheese sandwich one of the elves had brought him an hour or so ago. And then perhaps a nice nap before dinner, yes that sounded like a wonderful end to a day on the African Savannah.

With a fiery implosion Fawkes took his crazy master off on another 'great adventure.'

}-{

Madam Umbridge strode out of the holding cells with Percy and his fiancée right behind her. How dare they arrest her secretary! She had to speak to Cornelius immediately about these damned Aurors. They were going to disrupt the plan!

Once they were in her office, and she was comfortably surrounded by her kittens, she breathed a sigh of relief. This young man was far too valuable to her. Why he'd already made her a fortune on a simple regulation for the thickness of potion cauldrons! And according to him the actual calculations, that the potions masters couldn't dispute, had come from this half-blood with him. Well exceptions would be made where useful people were found.

"Mr. Weasley, please take tomorrow off to recover and calm your betrothed. I shall speak to the Minister and we will get back to business on Wednesday." She said in her sweet and warm voice.

"But what about our arrest?" He asked.

She waved her hand dismissively. "I spoke to Madam Bones myself. She said that neither of you were involved in anything illegal. Her people were apparently over-eager to arrest everyone in the house. No charges were, or will be, filed."

"Thank you Madam Undersecretary." Percy said and bowed while Penelope remained silent as a good pure-blood wife should and curtsied along with his bow.

"The remainder of your biological family appears to be destined for Azkaban. It is a good thing you have publically distanced yourself." She continued in her warm, sweet voice. Trying to reassure them of her good will. "Now we just need an unbeatable strategy to bury Mr. Potter at his trial. Your thoughts, both of you, would be appreciated on the matter."

"Yes, Madam Undersecretary, we'll discuss it."

"No, no dear boy. Rest and recoup, there is plenty of time, the trial date isn't set yet."

"Thank you." Percy said and they gratefully headed home.

}-{

Marlene was the first one into the house and immediately noticed the floating letter in the middle of the parlor. She directed Harry in that general direction and drew her wand to check for anything dangerous about it. "It's from Dumbledore." She said a moment later as Daphne closed the door.

Harry nodded and opened the scroll, with Hermione over his shoulder they read the missive. "He found the proof of my emancipation."

"I knew it was there!" Hermione said and gave him a quick kiss.

"What's going on?" Sirius said from the landing above them. "The wards are gone?"

"I have them Lord Black." Daphne said. "I'm not entirely certain as to why, but rest assured I have them under control."

"Oh good." He said and finished descending the stairs. "I had a bizarre dream, I couldn't move, it was like one of those alien abductions. Though I don't think I'm pregnant."

"What are you talking about Sirius?" Harry asked in concern.

"I dreamt Remus was having sex with Bella in my bedroom." He said and then did a full body shiver. "I really need to find a mind healer, this is ridiculous. Why couldn't it have been me with a nubile teen?"

"Sirius Black!" Marlene said sharply, reading his surface thoughts. She conjured a blow up sex doll in front of him.

"Hey!" He said while Remus descended the stairs and wolf-whistled. Whether it was for Marlene's dress or the doll it was misconstrued by the angry witch.

She then transfigured it into a female black lab. "Oh, sorry, is that more your preference? A fuck-bitch?" She was quite angry at their obvious lust.

"I've had sex with a lot of dogs, what's wrong with that?" Sirius said.

"Merlin," Marlene breathed out, staring at him in disgust. "You need to get out of England and find a good mental healer. Harry needs a stable father figure, not a wild gigolo who thinks with his dick."

"What's wrong with that?" Remus asks "I've done it with plenty of wolves."

The look of disgust that all the women gave them seemed to finally make an impact on the two men.

"Lord Black, you will hand over your portkey to the island to your Heir. Then you and your fellow disgusting male, will take the portkey to the Black estate in France, which has no extradition law with England and has decent laws concerning Weres. There you will both seek mental help. You will not return to this country until they deem you healthy enough to interact with children!" Marlene said stiffly, her anger barely held in check.

"So you're just going to take my godson and his women off to a tropical island for a week? You're twice his age, how is that in anyway better than what we've done?"

"I am human!" She spat at them and turned to leave.

"No, you're some species of Ice Bitch. Now I see where your niece got it from." Sirius yelled back.

Marlene stiffened and spun, wand coming up. There was no way they could fight her so Harry did the only thing he could think of to stop her from killing the two men, he kissed her – hard. When they parted a moment later he spoke in a harsh whisper. "Not worth it Lene."

"Harry!" She said, eyes wide.

"What?" He said, rather a bit in shock at his own actions.

Marlene was then turned around by Consort Potter and rendered speechless by a searing kiss that left both of them a bit dazed.

Hermione managed to smirk, "Definitely human, and as delicious as my Daph."

"Upstairs ladies, I'll join you when I settle this." Harry said, his voice had started gentle, but turned firm as he looked at his godfather and adoptive uncle.

When the men were alone in the parlor Harry sighed. "I'm not going to try to judge you, and I expect the same from you." He said and righted a chair that he didn't remember knocking over.

"Well." Sirius said, looking down at his feet.

"Sure." Remus said and sat in a chair.

"Look, I don't quite understand what's been going on between myself and Marlene except that our magic has been pulling us together since we met on my birthday. My morals are a bit screwed up, having grown up with the Dursleys, so I've tried to just keep my witch happy. So long as she is ok with this, I will be too." Harry poured himself a glass of hot tea from the pot that had appeared on the table.

"Yeah." Remus said, filling his own glass and cradling it in both of his hands.

"I'm sorry if I've disappointed you Harry." Sirius said.

"I think you should do what Marlene said. It might do you more good in the long run." Harry said sipping his tea carefully. "You've both been through a lot, twelve years in prison has to leave some issues Sirius."

"Yes, it has." His godfather said. "It's why I can't stop drinking."

"I'm sure there are mind healers that can help you overcome those memories and restore the ones taken from you." Harry said.

"France has a strong magical, and medical community." Remus said. "Well, I'll go pack. We'll catch up with you when we're back pup. Hopefully before school starts, but that's only a few weeks away."

"Thank you uncle." Harry said patting his adoptive uncle's shoulder as the worn Marauder headed upstairs.

"I don't know what to do." Sirius said after a pause.

"I can't see how following her advice can be bad." Harry said. "You won't be arrested in France, and you can get better. You were obliviated by Mrs. Weasley. I need you able to help me, not sit around drunk arguing with your mother's portrait what insult you should be called."

Sirius laughed, he didn't really remember what had happened, Fire whiskey did that to you, but it sounded funny. "Yes, though Mother does like your Slytherin girl."

"So get packed up, put the portkey to the island on the table here, and I'll expect to spend Christmas with you guys somewhere." Harry said and hurried upstairs before he cried.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Harry scrambled up the stairs, using his hands to keep from falling over in his haste. His eyes were blurry with imminent tears. The door to his right was open when he reached the fourth floor, his magic pulled him in that direction so he rushed into the room, hitting his shoulder on the doorjamb as he did.

He passed Marlene and Ginny, sitting in chairs facing one another, tossed his glasses towards the head of the bed, and collapsed into Hermione's arms. Fortunately she had been sitting on the edge of the bed and had just risen, so he didn't hurt her in his haste.

She immediately wrapped him into a hug, planting feather-kisses on his neck and jaw.

}-{

"What?" Ginny said, half-rising, but Marlene held her in the chair with a surprisingly strong arm.

Daphne shared a brief glance at her aunt, flicked her wand at the door to close it, and then climbed on the bed behind her betrothed as his sobs made his body jerk at the force of them.

"It isn't our place." Marlene said softly to the confused ginger, using her own wand to cast a privacy spell over her bed. They could still see the three entwined, but no longer hear them.

"But aren't you going to be with him too? I've seen you kiss." she asked.

Marlene blushed just a bit at that bald statement, but managed to nod. "I believe I shall, but he is their responsibility, allow them to help him work through his feelings."

"But boys aren't supposed to cry!"

"Certainly they do." Marlene said gently. "Though he likely ran up here so as not to be seen by Sirius and Remus. It is considered unmanly, yet where did he go that he actually felt he could cry?" she said, using her wand to point at the bed.

"To Hermione." Ginny said and nodded with a sad frown. "She's always been whatever he needed. I used to be so jealous of her. I wanted to be her. If only I'd been a year older and a bunch smarter, but she was always there."

"And she always will." Marlene said with certainty.

"What am I going to do?" Ginny asked.

Marlene shrugged. "There are other good men out there, though sometimes they are hard to find. I was mostly unsuccessful myself, so I'm not the one to ask for advice." The elder witch said and then gestured for Ginny to sit properly in the chair and face her. "Now let us complete this. You want two on each side, right?"

"Yes, one on the lobe and one just here." Ginny said, pointing carefully at the spot she wanted the second piercing.

"Very well, the trick is to make the second ear match the first you know. So try to stay still. Yes this will hurt, but not for long."

"OK, go ahead."

Marlene performed the first piercing spell on Ginny's left earlobe.

"Yikes." Ginny said clenching her hands on her knees and flinching away from the pain.

"But it no longer hurts does it?" Marlene said gently, her hand on Ginny's shoulder.

The younger girl reached up and touched her ear and then looked at the finger. "And no blood, just like you said." She took a deep breath and then nodded. "Continue please Ma'am."

"Only if you never call me that again!" She said with a soft smile, "I'm Marlene."

"Yes, Ma...rlene."

The Hit Witch nodded in satisfaction and carefully pointed her wand before casting the second spell on the left ear. This time Ginny flinched but was far more controlled than the first time. She nodded a second later, her mouth clenched in concentration.

"Excellent." Marlene said and moved her wand to the other ear to repeat both spells.

}-{

"We're here love." Hermione whispered as Daphne spooned up behind him, her arm snaking under his head to support it.

"Why do they have to be such bastards?" he muttered into her shoulder.

"Honestly, I thought Marlene over-reacted a bit. She got too angry." Hermione said.

"We were told by Mrs. Tonks, that there were a lot of deviant thoughts or memories in Sirius' mind." Daphne added gently. "She didn't know if they were things that had actually happened or not."

"And what if the black lab, he remembered was a witch animagus?" Hermione asked. "His memories are not where he expects them, both prison and obliviations have hurt him terribly."

"So just forgive him?"

"No." both girls said gently before Hermione continued. "He needs to get help, then he can explain it."

"He needs to explain it." Daphne said.

Harry rolled onto his back slowly allowing Daphne time to move out of the way. She kept her arm under his head though. His hand covered his eyes, still leaking salty tears on the bedspread.

"And Remus needs to explain himself too." Daphne said. "I mean he could have meant he had sex with other werewolves during the night of the full moon, but that isn't what he said."

"They are also both pranksters." Hermione added after a moment to think about it. "Perhaps they thought of it as a joke? I don't know."

Harry shrugged, bumping his shoulder into Daphne's bicep and making her flinch in sudden pain, though she remained silent.

Their brunette companion brushed her fingers gently over Daphne's cheek and mouthed a kiss in her direction. "I guess we'll learn at some point in the future. We really need Lord Black to be exonerated so he can speak for you in the Wizengamot."

"I told them to leave." He said with a hitch in his voice. "Go to France and get healed. Maybe Sirius will also get exonerated. I really want more adult support. Can we trust the Headmaster or Madam Longbottom?"

"Dumbledore is still a puzzle to me." Daphne admitted. "I mean what's with those weird words every year? He says them sometimes when he's presiding over the Wizengamot."

"I've spent hours pondering those strange words. The Prophet prints an annual issue with more than forty years of them. They call it the Dumbledore Linguistic Puzzle. Some speculate he's really revealing Merlin's lost knowledge!" Hermione said and then blushed as both Harry and Daphne had turned to look at her, mouths agape. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Don't ever change love." Daphne said, leaning over Harry.

"You think she's hot when she gets like that too?" Harry said, his former anguish pushed aside he turned to look into Daphne's eyes.

The blonde witch licked her lips, her arm hugging him tightly. "Of course I do." She managed to say before her lips crashed down onto his.

"Hey I want some of that too." Hermione said with an overly-dramatic pout.

"Sorry." Harry said when Daphne pulled away.

"Yes." Their blonde companion added, licking her swollen red lips.

Hermione lunged over him to meld her lips to Daphne's and the girls kissed frantically over his face.

He found himself growing hard at the sight and then recalled just where they were and managed to calm himself. He had to control himself in front of Ginny. And that also went for his witches. With a gentle caress of their joined lips he got them apart.

"Not where my Ward can see us ladies." He said.

That got everyone focused quickly, though Daphne did dip her lips down to catch his for the gentlest of kisses.

"We're here Harry, never forget that." She breathed just above his lips.

"Agreed love." Hermione said with a feather-light brush of her fingertips over his famous scar.

"OK, I think I'm recovered." He said as they both pulled back from him. "I just expected them to be more adult than me. Not that I've had much experience with stable adults who support me."

"Just the one love." Hermione said, not bothering to point to the Hit Witch a few feet away who was now helping their Ward pick which earrings to wear in her newly pierced ears.

"Aunt M's got her own demons. Mostly related to her families legacy and everyone's expectations of her. But she's always tried to look out for me and Astoria."

"Is your sister in danger?" Hermione asked. "From your father I mean."

Daphne shook her head, looking through the spell keeping their words private. "No. He took it out on me because his first born wasn't male. She's always been his darling little girl."

"But now she's got to carry on your family name." Harry said, slowly sitting up so they could sit in a loose triangle on the bed.

"Line Continuation." Daphne said with a shrug.

Harry's eyes went wide and he quickly shook his head. "No."

"I wasn't suggesting it." Daphne said, her sharp eyes boring into his, a nearly blank expression forming on her lovely face.

"Stop." Hermione said, giving Daphne's near shoulder a sharp poke to break her out of the moment. "He wasn't accusing you." She added when the tableau broke and the blonde sighed and looked at her hands in her lap.

"Sorry." She said a moment later when Harry reached over and took her hands in his.

"I might have said that a bit sharper than I should have." He said. "I apologize too. I just wanted to make it clear I'm not looking to expand what we have. Apparently my magic and Marlene's has something to say about that." He shrugged. "Regardless and unless it happens again, this is it, just the… um four of us."

"Yes." Hermione said and placed her own hands on their joined ones. "Wouldn't want you so exhausted you couldn't eliminate dickless."

Harry turned red, while Daphne choked and had to lean over and cough a moment to recover.

"Merlin Mine, don't do that." He said when it looked like Daphne was going to be alright.

"Well you did say that when he came out of the cauldron he was nude and it was like a Ken doll." Hermione said in a fairly clinical voice he could easily imagine Madam Pomfrey using.

Harry and Daphne shared a look of exasperation at their companion's sense of humor which elicited a soft laugh from the brunette who flicked her hair over her shoulders.

Daphne drew her wand, made a quick poking gesture into the spell protecting them and swirled it in a smooth counter-clockwise spiral. When it was about three inches around the spell vanished and they could hear Ginny speaking.

"But that one of yours was much prettier."

"Well if you like it so much, sure add it to your collection. I'll pick up a replacement at some point."

"Oh, thank you."

"We're back." Daphne said brightly.

"Sorry about that." Harry said, though he couldn't look up from a point on the wooden floor a few feet from the bed.

"Unfortunately with those two man-children, it is to be expected." Marlene said somberly. "Though after thinking about it I might have over-reacted a bit more than I should have."

Ginny took her hand in support but remained silent.

Harry shrugged. "Regardless I've told them both to leave, go to France and seek healing."

"Perhaps something good will come of it?" Marlene said. "So what do you think of Ginny's earrings?"

Only then did Harry notice that his Ward had a long gold bar spanning her ear, from lobe to about the peak of the helix, both ends had short gold chains dangling from them, each sporting a small emerald.

"Cool." Harry managed to say.

"Oh, you're just saying that because of the emeralds." Daphne said but laughed. "They are lovely Gin." She said to the nervous young girl.

"Yes." Hermione added.

"Thank you." Ginny said. When no one else spoke up she cleared her throat. "If Lord Black leaving, should we stay here?"

"Now that's an interesting question indeed." Marlene said into the sudden quiet.

"Where else would we go?" Harry asked.

"I do have control of the wards and the elf here." Daphne pointed out.

"Yes, and that's a very good point." Marlene said. "But we do have several options, and it's worth discussing them."

"What about your castle?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, that's certainly an option. We'd be able to really train there, but none of your friends will be there. I'd actually recommend Longbottom hall or Bones Manor."

"What if we visit these other places but live here?" Daphne offered.

"I agree we shouldn't impose ourselves on the Longbottom's." Harry said. "But we could live at Marlene's."

Daphne shook her head. "No, you've got to establish yourself as an adult. You need to live where no one can dispute that. It would be best if we could move to a Potter property." She said, turning to Hermione with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes it would, but none of them are ready. The manor is a half-reconstructed mess from when Charlus and Dorea were killed, and none of the others were under any real wards. This house has some of the heaviest wards in the country, at least that's what I've read." Hermione said in a single, rushed breath.

"Breathe darling." Daphne said and patted her knee. "I've never held another ward to compare it to, but yes I'd say these are strong."

"I've got an idea." Harry said and the girls, including Ginny laughed which caused him to join them. "Yeah I know, run now…" That caused some coughing before they settled down a few minutes later.

"Sorry Harry." Marlene said. "Please, what did you think of?"

"Well. What if we send both Neville and Susan letters about visiting them for a day, not to spend the night mind you. I really want to get into some training like what we started in the basement. You have something like that room at your castle?" he asked looking at Marlene.

"Certainly."

"And it's up to date." Daphne added.

"What if we spend mornings at Castle McKinnon, training, then come back here for the afternoon and evening. We can use that time to recover our magic, read, or work on potions?"

"We need to add visits to our friends for some of those." Hermione added.

"I'd love to have my sister visit us for a few days." Daphne added. "Though she'd need to stay with Gin." She ended with a deep blush.

This made their silent Ward speak up for the first time since she started the conversation. "I don't know her well, but we don't hate one another. Could we invite my friend Luna over too? I know she's a bit odd, but…"

"Sure." Hermione said when her Ward trailed off uncertainly. "You're allowed your own friends Ginny."

"What about the trial?" Harry asked, suddenly serious.

Marlene shrugged. "I've not heard anything from Amelia. Hang on, I'll see if she has a minute."

With a quick flick of her left wrist her staff appeared, she moved it in a circle and the small mirror she used previously shot from the tip into her other hand. Another flick and the staff vanished wherever it went for storage.

"Amelia Bones!" she announced, looking into the mirror. Everyone waited, though Hermione was curious about this thing so Daphne began whispering about the communications mirror in her ear.

"McKinnon, report." Came the Head of the D.M.L.E.'s voice a moment later.

"Mr. Black and Lupin have traveled to France to seek healing and a trial for Mr. Black." Marlene said.

"I suppose that's the best we could hope for. But are the wards compromised now?"

"No, they'd fallen to my niece prior to that. She's also gained the loyalty of the elf." Marlene said.

"Oh, really? That's an impressive feat, and done so fast. Better watch out McKinnon, that girl will be after your job soon."

"She's got a few sprog to push out first." Marlene said, causing everyone else in the room to blush brightly.

"Is she blushing now?" Amelia asked.

"They all are." Marlene said, pointing the mirror away from herself for a minute.

"Well they're all healthy at least."

"Yes, but our resident hero is concerned about his trial." Marlene said, once again with the mirror facing herself.

"Ah, I do have a date on that." Amelia said, shuffling through a stack on her desk. "Here, August 14th, 9am courtroom ten."

"Though we should be there by seven." Marlene immediately added.

"Yes, that's a fair statement. What's your defense?"

"First that Mr. Potter was not anywhere near there when it supposedly happened. Second he was under my protection at the—"

"No." Hermione said, quickly moving to stand beside the Hit Witch. "Sorry Madam Bones, but in order to protect Marlene's status as a Hit Witch, we really need to save that information. Instead we must focus on the fact that Harry was already a recognized adult."

"What?"

"He was forced to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, by his Magical Guardian, Albus Dumbledore, and the designated Ministry representative, Mr. Crouch. As such his name was recorded in the book. The Headmaster left us a note that he was able to locate that information."

"Really? My, my." Amelia said and then laughed, clapping her hands several times.

"Sorry." Marlene said a moment later. "I got caught up in my own desire to defend Harry to remember that."

No one answered in words, but Hermione turned and hugged her gently before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

"So." Amelia said after a moment. "Is that all for now?"

"Yes, Madam." Marlene said, still blushing from Hermione's actions.

}-{

Fleur Delacour strode into St. Mungo's and up to the reception desk. "I am looking for William Weasley, he was harmed by an Auror."

"What?" the receptionist asked in shock.

Fleur snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face. "Non, where iz he?"

"Um…" she mumbled and flipped through a book on the desk. "Spell damage ward, chamber 243, that's on the second floor." She said pointing to the lifts.

Ignoring the men staring at her fine ass Fleur dropped a galleon tip on the desk and strode over to the lifts. The second floor was much quieter than the ground floor. The Ward was sparsely populated and no one guarded the halls. She studied the plaques on the wall, some pointing left, some right, and some up. It seemed that 243 was to the left so she spun on her heel and strode in that direction.

The door was easy to recognize as there were the two Aurors that she had incapacitated with her enchanted chain spell. They flinched when she drew close.

"I will see Mr. Weasley." She said firmly to the taller one as he was on her side of the door, in her left hand she held up a small stone token from Amelia Bones.

"If that's what the boss wants, then sure." He said, barely keeping a scowl from his face.

But she could read him easily, he hated her kind, considered them non-humans and barely better than animals. She ignored her desire to eviscerate him here in the hallway, after all if she did, then they had a high likelihood of saving his pathetic life. Instead she stepped between them and into the room.

William was not awake, he was slightly propped up in the bed, his Gringott's fang still dangled from his ear, but his long red hair had been removed. He was now completely bald. There was no one else in the room so she went to the monitoring board to inspect his health.

She knew only a little of this, his heart was strong and his magic appeared normal. She knew he was a strong wizard, or he would not have the job he excelled at, but seeing the numbers she just managed to prevent herself from laughing. She far exceeded Mr. William Weasleys magical strength. Though this could be lower than normal due to his injury. She would withhold her judgement until later.

Fleur turned her attention to the man himself, he was breathing regularly, though seemed a bit pale through his tan.

"Madam?" a man said as he stepped into the room. He was not wearing a medical robe, but stood as her father often did, with a lot of authority.

Her wand was in her hand and at the ready before he had finished entering the room. "I am Fleur Delacour, Mr. Weasley iz my instructor at Gringotts." She said in as normal a tone as she could manage. To provide proof of her statement she flicked her head and held her hair back to display the fang that dangled from her own ear. "I am attempting to discern his status before reporting to our superiors at zee bank."

He nodded once and then closed the door. She was now alone in the room with this man and an unconscious instructor. It made her feel a bit threatened, but she maintained her slightly tense stance as the man did not draw his wand.

Fleur's own wand was lowered through sheer force of will. She would not appear a frightened peasant in front of this man!

"I am Special Investigator Richard Evaren, Madam Bones sent me to investigate the assault upon you and Mr. Weasley here. As you are conscious, what can you tell me of the encounter?"

"Zo you are a War Wizard as my employers say?"

The first sign of hesitation crossed his eyes at her question before he gave her a brief nod. "Madam Bones said you were sharp and had clearance."

"My Fazzer, iz zee Chief of French Intelligence." She said softly and pulled her badge from the hidden pocket of her robe.

Robert barely glanced at her badge before presenting his own to alleviate her fears. "What happened?"

She put her wand away along with her badge before collecting her thoughts and speaking.

"William and I walked out of the main door of zee bank, I was a few feet in front of him. When we were perhaps a hundred and fifty meters from zee apparition point I felt spells coming at me, zoh I moved to zee side and drew my wand. William was already on zee ground about three meters away. I conjured a weighted chain and sent it at zee two guarding this door."

She gestured at it before pacing a few feet away and then turning to face him over William. "Zee chain broke the taller one's wand arm, and was choking the shorter one. The remaining two, Auror Captain Shacklebolt and someone I do not know, cast a bone-breaker and a severing charm at me. I dodged them and removed the unknown man's wand hand. Only zen did Auror Captain Shacklebolt speak to me and ask for pax."

"You mean peace?"

"Oui, zis is what I zed."

Richard shook his head. "No, I'm having a hard time understanding some of your words."

Fleur blushed and looked at her hands. She often had this trouble when she became passionate about a topic. "Oui, sorry. I ave a ard time when I am emotional."

"So the Auror Captain asked for peace? Then what?" Richard asked after she remained silent for a minute or so.

Fleur sighed and looked up again. "He finally told me zey were Aurors! I was shocked of course, for zey had attacked us. I canceled my chain and zose two men took William and zee handless man here. Auror Captain Shacklebolt asked me to go to zee ministry wiz him. Zat was zee end of zee conflict."

"So you did not see what happened to Mr. Weasley? Had he drawn his wand?"

Fleur shook her head slowly. "Non, E was too far behind me and I did not sense zee spell. His wand was still in his wrist olster. But it was Auror Captain Shacklebolt who approached from behind us, zee ozzer men were beside and in front of us."

Richard leaned against the wall, beside the door and closed his eyes a moment. He looked far from relaxed so Fleur tensed, her hand ready to draw her wand at the first hint of a spell from him. Hit Wizards were respected for a reason after all.

"Mr. Weasley may never recover. His brain is damaged and the first mental healer to try went into labor before she was able to address the problem. The other Gringotts certified mental healer has been called in, but he will not be here for several hours. At this time I must fault Captain Shacklebolt and his team. The ministry will be paying for the medical costs and likely owe his family a stipend to take care of him if he does not recover his abilities."

"I shall inform my superiors of his medical condition and zee prospect of recovery." Fleur said, taking a few steps closer to the door.

"Yes, please do. The Ministry will also owe them recompense." Richard said, finally opening his eyes and stepping away from the door. "And remember my title is Special Investigator."

Fleur gave him a shallow bow, which felt strange to her as she was accustomed to curtsying, but this was the way of the English. Two minutes later she exited the hospital and activated her homing portkey, built into the fang's magic, and swirled away to report on what had happened.

}-{

"Well brother, are we really doing this?" Sirius asked his old friend.

Remus shrugged. "It appears we have little choice." He said holding his hand out for the end of the gold chain Lord Black held.

Instead of replying, he draped the links over his friends hands and pressed his wand-tip to it. With a surge of magic they were whisked away into the ether.

The spinning seemed to go on and on, just before he lost consciousness there was a great crash, Moony cried out in pain and then his own world went dark.

}-{

The Weasley Matriarch was beyond angry. How dare the Ministry investigate a pure blood house! They had rights! What happened in her house was not any of their business!

Her poor twins, they couldn't get hard anymore, no matter how much their girls tried! That Greengrass bitch had to have done something to them. Fortunately they were gifted at potions and thought they had an idea that would work, so she'd left them to work it out with their girls under heavy lust potions. What boy wouldn't get hard with two hot girls making one another cum until they passed out?

And young Harry was trapped now by the mudblood and the ruthless manipulator. How would she get potions into them now to free him for her Ginny?

Where was her precious daughter? What was she being told about all of this?

But she would not despair or cry out. She was in the right, even if the Weasley family had lost many of their titles over the years, they were still an Ancient Pure Blood family. Plus she was from the Prewett line, which carried to each of her children. They would have more social standing once the title properly fell to her William. Since the Prewett line was patriarchal, her first born son would inherit the title. He would be the head of two families.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Castle McKinnon was a true fortress. They arrived in a small, windowless, room. At first there didn't even appear to be a door, until Marlene stepped towards one rune-covered wall. Then the outline of a door appeared and the section of the wall in the middle vanished.

"This is the only room where apparition or portkey will work. The wards re-direct all such to here. The wards summon me, or Daphne, and will actively attack anyone trying to circumvent them." She said as she led them up a tight spiral stairs.

"Are we alone here?" Harry asked.

"No." Daphne answered from just behind him. "There are servants, elves, and other allies."

"Most of my fellow Hit Wizards, and all of the Witches, call this their home." Marlene said as they reached the top of the stairs and walked out into a large hall.

The room was similar to the great hall at Hogwarts, in that banners and tables were present, but the people eating were dressed for war instead of classes. Each had on heavy dragon hide vests or robes. They immediately noticed their entrance to the room and the two men and six women stood at once, bowing and curtsying to Marlene, while several servants quickly used their wands to set the next table for the new arrivals.

"Have you returned home Lady?" a tall man asked as he put his wand away.

"No Randolph." Marlene said. "Though, I will be visiting more frequently to see to my charges training."

"Very well Lady." He said without any concern. "Should I prepare chambers?"

"Two." Daphne answered quickly. "One for the Ward of House Potter, the other for myself, Lord Potter and his Consort."

"Of course Mistress." Randolph said and gave them all a quick bow. "Breakfast is ready if any of you are interested."

"Yes, please." Daphne said while Marlene stepped over to the fighters at the other table and warmly greeted them.

Harry was quite surprised to see them all act as equals, though they could all be the Hit Witches and Wizards she'd mentioned earlier.

After a brief round of introductions, none of them admitted to being co-workers of Marlene, but all seemed competent and prepared to fight, they sat down for breakfast.

"Randolph, and his family have served mine for centuries. He's actually the Seneschal of the castle, responsible for overall readiness and supplies." Marlene said while scooping eggs onto her plate.

"Where are we, in England that is?" Hermione asked. "Somewhere to the East I think."

"Correct." Marlene said. "We're a few miles north of Kings Lynn, near the mouth of the Great Ouse."

Once they had all eaten Daphne gave them a brief tour of the castle while her aunt went off with Randolph to discuss some issues he wanted her input on. The view from the residential tower was shocking. The sea occupied the entire north view, the outer walls were close to the water, while to the south the town of Kings Lynn was visible in the distance. East and West was farmland and as Hermione pointed out, a National Nature Reserve.

The view of the castle itself showed that the outer wall encompassed a fairly small area, with several buildings in addition to the one they were atop. "It's compact, but with expansion charms and the underground chambers, plenty large enough for several hundred to live comfortably." Daphne explained.

"Yeah, It's just hard to get my muggle-raised brain used to those things." Harry said with a laugh.

"How many people do live here?" Hermione asked.

"Several dozen, we'd need to ask Randolph for an exact number." Daphne said with a shrug which made her lover frown at such an imprecise answer. "Let me show you the dueling room, and then I think we have to meet Aunt M. for the trip to Longbottom Hall." Daphne said.

}-{

"Welcome to Longbottom Hall." Neville said when they arrived in his parlor. Beside him stood Susan Bones, while an imposing older woman sat by the fire.

"Thank you Neville." Harry said and shook hands with his often-timid friend.

"I'd like to formally introduce my Grandmother, Madam Longbottom." Neville said, turning and indicating the woman in the chair.

"Madam." Harry said and kissed the back of her hand.

"Welcome to our home Lord Potter." She said, sounding far stronger than she appeared. "And whom else do you bring with you?" she said, looking suspiciously at Daphne who waited painfully erect beside Hermione while her aunt hovered in the background.

"Only those whom I trust completely." He said, turning to indicate his Consort first. "My dearest friend, Hermione Granger, who will become Lady Potter and is currently my Consort."

Susan gasped at that, and blushed brightly when everyone turned to her.

Neville managed a weak smile while his gran's lips turned into a tight line. She did brush her fingers against Hermione's when she approached, though neither said a word.

"Beside my future lady is our Ward, Ginevra Weasley. She owes me a life debt and I've taken responsibility for her schooling and care."

"I've heard of some unpleasantness regarding them." Madam Longbottom said, looking intently at Ginny to see if she would flinch away.

"I informed the Aurors as to what my mum and brothers were doing." Ginny said softly and only after Hermione had taken her hand.

"Then perhaps there is some honor left among that family." Madam Longbottom said.

Ginny was unable to reply, stepping back and half-hiding behind Hermione's shoulder.

"Madam." Harry said sharply enough to get the old woman to pay attention to him, and scowl. "Though I've yet to hear of a trial, I believe the guilty have been captured." When she reluctantly nodded he continued. "Several weeks ago I discovered I had become Heir to the House of Black, owing partially to my Gran being of that house. As such a contract was enacted, and I became betrothed to Daphne Greengrass."

He held his left hand out to the girl who was standing as tense as a marble statue, and expressing just as much warmth towards their reception so far. She flowed to him, taking his hand lightly with her right and dropping to a precisely measured curtsy of equals.

"Madam Augusta Longbottom." Daphne said, knowing the woman's given name, though it hadn't been mentioned, "With us is my Aunt Marlene McKinnon, I'm certain you recognize the Spear of the Light."

Neville's Gran jerked as though slapped, suddenly realizing the woman towering behind the children was indeed the last of that line. She gestured to Neville who quickly helped her stand, only for her to drop into a deep curtsy, which he had to help her rise from.

"Lady, you bring much honor to this house." She said as she rose, looking quite pensive at the frown on Marlene's face.

"I don't know," Marlene said stiffly. "Your oldest allies stand in your home, and yet you act as though those associated with them are beneath you. Perhaps Lord Potter and his ladies will not be visiting your home once a week for lessons. I'm certain my Seneschal can perform those duties."

Madam Longbottom trembled on Neville's arm while Susan, who had yet to be formally introduced, stood swaying as though unable to decide which way to move. She suddenly curtsied deeply towards Harry and Marlene. She remained dipped as she spoke. "The Ancient and Most Noble House of Bones, will stand with Potter and McKinnon."

Only after she finished did she stand and step to Hermione's side. "Congratulations." She said. "If anyone can deal with all of the crap he gets into it's you."

Hermione laughed, shattering much of the tension in the room, and then pulled Susan into a one-armed hug of thanks.

"Longbottom will also support our allies." Neville said, though his gran scowled down at him. "To the last breath, as sworn."

"Thank you Nev." Harry said, though didn't move. It seemed that only his light grip on Daphne's wand hand was allowing her to contain her temper.

"We shall." Madam Longbottom finally said and collapsed into her chair again.

}-{

Sirius Black groaned and rolled onto his side clutching his head.

"Lie still." Remus said from a few feet away.

"What happened?"

Then a voice he didn't know spoke up, forcing Sirius to sit up and look around the room in spite of his pounding head and aching arm.

"You arrived rather unexpectedly in the location of the old foyer." It was a distinguished older man, likely in his sixties or so, he continued speaking, ignoring Sirius' astonishment. "Since we believed all of the portkeys for that room had long faded, we took no precautions during our remodeling several decades ago. Unfortunately that meant the two of you landed where a wall stood, and thus your injuries."

"Wh—" Was as far as Sirius got before the man interrupted him.

"I am Lord Nicholas Furieux, as the Black line is known in France." The man said firmly and then paused. In the ensuing silence Sirius was unable to speak.

"You've been resting nearly twelve hours Sirius." Remus said. "I recovered a bit quicker and explained to Lord Furieux who we were and what we needed."

"You see Lord Black, my father broke off all contact with your branch of the family when they allied with the Dark Lord. Your, and Andromeda's, personal choices notwithstanding, we saw no point in maintaining the relationship. And then when you were sentenced to Azkaban…" he trailed off shrugging his shoulders.

"Since we're not restrained, I shall assume you're willing to assist us?" Sirius said.

Nodding the French Lord Black responded. "Mr. Lupin shared with me the memory of your discussions just before your departure. I concur that you both need the assistance of a mental healer, and have contacted several who are not only certified, but under oath to this house. Once they are comfortable with your mental stability, your wands will be returned to you and we will begin the process of proving your innocence."

"Our wands?" Sirius said, suddenly aware he no longer had one on him.

"Yes." Lord Furieux said and stood. "Due to the nature of your…issues, none of your attendants or healers will be female. You are restricted to this wing of the house until I judge otherwise."

"So we are prisoners!" Sirius said, jumping to his feet.

Remus grabbed his arm and jerked him back down with his superior strength.

"If you choose to see it as such, yes." Lord Furieux said, stepping towards the door. "But I concur with Lady McKinnon. Neither of you are fit and will likely hurt your case if you act out where others could be called to report it at trial."

"Thank you." Remus said calmly, still holding Sirius tightly.

Lord Furieux bowed his head briefly. "Food will be brought by the elves. Feel free to wander this wing and explore the library in the small study. Rest and recoup, the healers will arrive tomorrow to begin their work."

}-{

The trial, approached without any further information from Dumbledore. Only the fact that Madam Bones kept Marlene informed allowed them to feel sufficiently prepared. Amelia had been able to get a response from the Headmaster, he would be present at the trial to lead there defense.

They were woken by Hermione's alarm spell at five am. The mood was somber while they showered with none of their usual exploration and playfulness. Kreacher had laid out their formal robes, including Hermione's so they all got dressed in the stiff, brocade family robes.

"I'm going to have to be very formal at court." Daphne said. "You both should try to do so as well. Remember our lessons. No hand shaking Mine, just brush fingers and you've got to stop chuckling when you kiss a woman's hand." She added to Harry who blushed.

Daphne added her new anklet to the outside of her left boot and re-applied the sticking charm. Her aunt had enchanted it so it couldn't be summoned, just as she had done to Ginny's new earrings the other day.

"Why and Ankh?" Harry asked, not really out of curiosity, but to break the oppressive silence.

"The Ankh represents life, in this case I wear it as a symbol of the life I hope to bring into this world. The children I hope to have with you." Daphne said a bit wistfully as she straightened the laces on her boot.

"Oh, wow." Harry managed to say, frozen in place.

Hermione brushed her hand over his shoulder as she stepped past him to pull their partner into a gentle hug. "You, my lovely snake are a beautiful soul." She said as she pulled back eliciting a deep blush from the usually composed girl.

 _Get your ass over there and hug that young woman!_ The Harry in his head suddenly yelled at him.

He found his feet moving and his arms encompassed the blonde Slytherin just as Hermione pulled away.

"Thank you. When I was growing up, at my aunt's, I never thought I could have such wonderful women in my life." He said, unsure if it came from him or the Harry in his head.

 _We're both you, numbskull!_ Came the sarcastic thought in reply.

"Thank you." Daphne said, trying to compose herself. "Both of you." She added, meeting their eyes briefly before heading out the door where they found Ginny and Marlene waiting for them.

Marlene had her own family robes on, the brilliant silver spear embroidered upon her back was partially obscured by her braided hair. But the symbolism was plain to all, she was the Spear of the Light as her father had been before her.

It actually made Hermione ponder just what was stored in that vault that Gringotts wanted her to remove. Could it be a magical spear or something similar, like a staff?

Ginny looked quite confused but was wearing the black robe the elf had laid out for her, which had the Potter crest on her left shoulder.

"No matter what, do not leave Hermione's side, Ginevra." Marlene told her as they prepared to leave. "You will have two guards with you that I trust. You will be in the guest box, reserved for relatives of the accused. I grant you permission to defend yourselves if necessary. Let me worry about the consequences if it comes to that."

"Yes, thanks." Hermione said giving Harry's hand a tight squeeze.

"And Harry, they cannot separate you from Daphne. A female Auror, in this case your cousin Nymphadora, will be with you. She's loyal and will defend you both in addition to performing the duty this dictates."

"Yes." Harry said and handed his wand to Daphne. As the accused he wasn't allowed to have a wand on him, but she was under no restrictions.

"So we portkey to the atrium, Nym and a friend of mine will meet us there. Remember formality, no crude jokes and no kissing me." She added the last, looking at Hermione and making her pout briefly.

Over the last few days Hermione's attraction to the head of the McKinnon clan had become more pronounced. She couldn't resist kissing her for long and suspected it was her magic also latching onto Harry's final (she hoped) partner.

His magic seemed content to pull them together slowly, he thought it was due to the fact that Daphne and Hermione kept him sated so his need was very low to add another willing partner.

Marlene for her part sometimes sat beside him at meals, with Hermione moving to her other side, leaving him between aunt and niece for the meal. And other than some kissing now and then, seemed perfectly happy to just learn more about Harry, and by extension Hermione.

Curiously there was no change in Daphne's relationship with her aunt. Harry wasn't sure what that would mean when all four of them were in the same bed. Right now it was a full three way relationship and he greatly enjoyed that aspect of it. Would they avoid touching one another during sex? Just how was that going to work out?

They each took hold of the silk cord Marlene pulled from an inner pocket. She tapped it with her wand once everyone had a firm hold and they swept away to the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, it was just 6:15am.

Daphne latched onto his arm immediately after their arrival. It was perfectly formal but the pressure she was exerting might make his arm fall asleep before they made it to the courtroom.

Nym was waiting on a summoned cot, her partner, another woman who looked very imposing, was standing beside the apparition point. It was this woman who gave Marlene a quick hug in greeting and then introduced herself to the others. "I'm Valerie Norwood." She left off her rank, but had strange piping on the collar of her Auror robe that Nym's didn't.

"Thank you for helping today Val." Marlene said.

"You'd do the same to me, if my husband ever got arrested." The tall woman replied with a sideways grin.

"Val?"

"Yeah, I know." Valerie said and turned to Harry. "Lord Potter, no harm shall befall you or your ladies if I can prevent it."

"Thank you Mrs. Norwood." Harry said, and brushed a kiss across the back of her knuckles. He deliberately refrained from asking the woman's rank. She seemed to be cut of similar cloth to Marlene and he suspected she was also a Hit Witch. Certainly the way Nym was deferring to her placed her higher in the chain of command.

Hermione, Daphne, and even Ginny brushed their fingers with her in formal greetings, which none of them did with Nymphadora for some reason he couldn't follow.

"Consort Potter, two of my team are waiting at the entrance to the courtroom to escort you and your Ward. They will remain with you until you are returned to Lord Potter's presence." Valerie said.

"Thank you." Hermione said and stepped away from Harry's side. Ginny moved with her, looking around the room in wonder.

The night guard was still at his post when they had their wands checked. Harry merely said he wasn't carrying one. The man looked at Mrs. Norwood, when she nodded he was allowed through without further protest.

Courtroom ten was the largest in the Ministry and had been used for the Death Eater trials at the end of the first war. There were four Aurors on guard at the main door, with two more off to the side. These, Valerie introduced as members of her team. They escorted Hermione and Ginny up the lift to their box for the trial.

"What are you up to McKinnon?" one of the Auror guards at the door asked when they approached the entrance.

Marlene laughed, ignoring the challenge. "Busted back down to Senior Auror already Shacklebolt? What did you do?"

The tall black man scowled and his hand flinched towards his wand. He froze when Valerie's wand was poised to cast a spell. "Mrs. Norwood." He said formally and motioned the guards with him to open the door.

Yep, she had to be a Hit Witch. Harry thought and relaxed just a little bit.

Inside the courtroom, Marlene with a brief nod to Harry, moved up the stairs on the left side to join the other Lords and Ladies present. She stopped frequently on her way to speak with other members who were milling about as well.

Harry noticed several of those speaking with her had their heirs with them and seemed to be getting too friendly for his comfort.

"Stop." Daphne hissed in his ear, disguising it as a kiss to his cheek.

That got him immediately back under control and he realized that Marlene was clearly well respected, everyone seemed to want to be seen speaking with her as she ascended to the Ancient and Noble fourth tier. He grinned when he saw one with his family crest beside the one Marlene settled into.

She was immediately pulled into a discussion by a tall woman with a vulture atop her head. Harry recognized her as Neville's gran, only after spotting the Longbottom Scion nearby, speaking with Susan Bones.

It seemed like being two hours early was the right thing to do as the room was beginning to get crowded.

"This isn't permitted." Percy Weasley said from just outside the door. He strode over to Harry's group looking quite the agitated fop.

"What isn't permitted?" Mrs. Norwood said coldly to him.

Percy froze in his tracks, looking at her as though she had just appeared out of nowhere. "The Minister left explicit orders, the accused is to be chained and cuffed with magic inhibitors."

While Harry bristled Valerie's firm "NO." Brought him back under control.

"But the Minister!" Percy said, his voice rising by several octaves.

Valerie waved dismissively at him. "My orders are from Madam Bones. Speak with her or just try and get past me. I care not, though you will find the second option more painful."

"You can't threaten me!" he exclaimed.

"Move along boy." She said and her wand flicked.

Percy was suddenly skipping down the middle of the courtroom loudly crowing like a rooster. He slammed into the side wall and then picked himself up to precariously dance up the stairs and down one of the back corridors. The vast majority of the chamber was staring in shock.

"That was cool." Nymphadora said in a stage whisper.

As though nothing had happened Valerie turned to face them. "You can sit there to wait." She gestured to a padded bench to the side of the doors.

Nymphadora took up a post on the far side, a few feet in front of the bench, while Valerie stood closer to the door, wand in hand, as she carefully observed those entering behind them.

Daphne used her hand around his elbow to pull him to the bench, where they sat to wait for the trial to start.

"Where's Dumbledore?" he asked her softly.

"Not in here yet love." She said, leaning on his shoulder to show her support. "He could be discussing this with his allies, remember he ran the Wizengamot for the last two decades or so, before Fudge got him removed for supporting you on Voldemort's return."

"Yeah," Harry said. "Or he's off exploring his sock drawer or something."

Daphne just managed to keep from laughing, instead squeezing his arm tightly and burying her face in his chest until she recovered. "Don't do that, you'll mess up my makeup." She whispered a moment later, looking up at him through her lashes.

Harry's stomach fluttered and he said the only thing smart men say in these situations. "Yes dear."

She patted his arm, graced him with a gentle smile before it vanished and her cold mask returned as she looked around the chamber.

Many of those in the stands were staring at them, not comprehending why anyone was with the accused. But Mrs. Norwood seemed to be sufficient deterrent to prevent any of them coming to ask about it. Since none of the Aurors were willing to do anything, the majority of those present merely observed.

The exception of course was the frog-lady in pink. Madam Umbridge hurried down to the floor of the courtroom and over to them. She was nearly frothing at the mouth as she did so. It was quite likely that Percy had danced right into her office to complain about his mistreatment.

Mrs. Norwood, stepped into her path while Nymphadora decided she should also have her wand in hand and pay more attention to their surroundings.

"Get out of my way! I'm the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic!"

"And I'm charged with protecting the accused." Valerie replied calmly.

"I'll have your badge!"

"You'll have to discuss that with Madam Bones. Now what do you want?"

"Why is that harlot with the lying criminal?" She spat out.

Everyone who heard the statement froze, except Daphne, who was on her feet in an instant and a resounding slap drew the rest of the courtroom's attention to them.

In the ensuing silence Daphne declared. "I am Daphne Greengrass of the Most Noble and Ancient line of Greengrass. I am betrothed to Scion Black, who also happens to be Lord Harry James Potter. Know your place worm!"

The magic laced into her voice shoved the large woman back onto the floor as she tried to reach for her wand.

Harry's magic had pulled him along with his betrothed, only remembering he didn't have his wand at the last moment. Instead he could only glare down at the disgusting woman.

Valerie put her free hand on his chest, giving him a single, concerned, look.

That look sent a chill down his spine, he had to control himself in front of all of these witnesses. They were going to have to vote on his innocence.

"Mrs. Norwood, I believe it is acceptable for a challenge to be issues in this case." He said as calmly and loudly as he could manage.

"Indeed." Valerie said, not sparing him a glance as several of the Aurors finally reacted and moved towards them.

Madam Umbridge picked herself up off the floor. There was a red handprint forming on her left cheek, blood fell from a cut caused by the mass of Daphne's betrothal ring.

"The Minister will see to you!" Umbridge spat, blood flying from her mouth.

"The Minister has no jurisdiction over Ancient Family insults." Mrs. Norwood said. "You've insulted both of their families, that entitles them to demand a duel for satisfaction."

"What?" Madam Umbridge asked, stumbling backwards and falling on her ass.

"A duel?" One of the Aurors asked quite loudly bringing an even deeper quiet to the courtroom as everyone who had been ignoring the scene focused on it.

Harry spared a glance up to Marlene. She was waiting, half-way down the aisle, wand in hand. He shifted his attention to Hermione on the other side of the room, she too had her wand in hand and Gin was clutching her other hand tightly. Filled with a warmth he was starting to get used to, he cleared his throat.

"This woman insulted both my betrothed and myself!" Harry said, a bit softer this time as he realized the room was designed to allow their voices to carry. He added a, hopefully, negligent wave of his hand in the frog-bitches direction.

"You cannot!" The frog croaked boldly.

"He bears the Lordship ring for House Potter." Daphne said. "He is also the Heir to House Black, and I am betrothed to that aspect of him." She ended holding her left hand out to show the betrothal ring to the Aurors who had come over.

"Lord Potter, or Lord Greengrass have seven days to issue a challenge, being the insulted party." Mrs. Norwood explained. "For now I suggest we get back to why we are here today."

"Just a moment!" A deep voice spoke from the door as Daphne's father entered. "How was I insulted?"

"Lord Greengrass." Several Aurors and Mrs. Norwood said.

"Daddy!" Daphne cried out to get his attention. "This woman called me a harlot and my betrothed a lying criminal!" She sounded the perfect, insulted pureblood princess, adding a slight whine to her voice that Harry had never, ever heard from her and hoped it was never directed in his direction. "Let me duel her, I've got those wonderful spells you showed me to try out." She continued, twisting the toe of her right boot on the floor and swaying slightly.

Umbridge muttered something and backed away a few steps from the angry Lord but then rallied and tugged her pink robe. "I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. I was merely inquiring as to why she was with the accused."

"Listen girl, and I use that term loosely, I don't care if you're Morgana LeFay come back to fuck Merlin back from the dead. Did no one ever teach you to recognize a Lord's ring?" Lord Greengrass said holding up his own ornate ring.

"House Umbridge is a newly elevated house, only two generations pure." Daphne heard her mother say, only then realizing she was right beside her father, with her little sister holding tightly to her other hand.

"And that should not excuse her ignorance!" Lord Greengrass barked.

The terrified woman in pink turned and fled across the floor of the courtroom.

"I'll consult with my daughter and Lord Potter before we decide the appropriate response to this insult!" Lord Greengrass added loudly making the woman stumble as she reached the stairs to the Ministers box.

Quite a few members of the audience laughed.

Harry finally saw Daphne's mother and sister as the group of Aurors moved away. Astoria was a near-clone of her elder sister while their mother was a bit shorter than Marlene and decidedly heavier. She still looked quite lovely, but the difference between them was striking to him. He knew Marlene was younger than her sister, but it appeared to be close to a decade.

"Lord Greengrass." Harry managed to say, holding his hand out to his soon-to-be father-in-law. If they had been in private Harry would likely have slapped the man just as his daughter had Umbridge, but in this public place, where he was accused of a crime, he needed all of the allies he could get. The man would certainly not do anything publicly to discredit himself.

A quick look from the short dark-haired man and he took Harry's hand in his, then clapped his left hand onto the other side, squeezing firmly, but not trying to break his hand.

Harry's other arm was being held by Daphne so he wasn't able to reciprocate the gesture, though he did squeeze all the harder with his wand hand.

Lord Greengrass released his hand and then Harry moved to Celeste Greengrass to gently kiss the back of her hand. The woman gave him a shallow curtsy, but did not speak. When Harry moved to Astoria, the fourteen year old girl looked to her older sister before extending her hand.

Harry brushed a kiss across her dainty hand and then gave her a gentle smile eliciting a light titter of a laugh from her.

"We have little time here Lord Potter." Malcolm said. "I would like a more lengthy conversation with you at some time."

"Certainly." Harry said. "We'll have to coordinate it with Lady McKinnon, and Daphne has expressed interest in having her sister visit for a few days as well."

"We shall." Malcolm said and then led his family up to a box on the same side of the courtroom as Hermione, opposite where the Potter and McKinnon box were. He settled into a box near the one with the Black family crest.

How was he going to sit both of those boxes? He wondered as Daphne led him back to the bench and sat even closer beside him. She dropped almost all of her formality to hug him. He suddenly realized she was shaking and wrapped both arms around her.

For a moment he thought she was crying, but it soon became evident she was trembling in rage. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her cheek to help calm her. When she pulled back she placed a kiss on his cheek as well, and then settled beside him.

"Worms like that make me want to move to Sweden."

"Really? I'd like to visit a lot of places. Mine's always talking about France, and we were invite by the French Champion."

"And your magic isn't latching onto her?" Daphne asked, not looking at him.

He squeezed her hand, causing her to look at him. "No, it isn't. We had a brief fling as Mine told you." He shrugged. "It was fun, but the three of you own my heart."

"We will start shortly." Valerie said, breaking into their conversation. "The Ministers box is filling and Madam Bones just took her place."

"Ok." Harry said, suddenly light headed. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"No idea." Valerie said and then sent a Patronus off to locate him.

When their Hit Witch protector stepped away Daphne gave him another soft kiss on the cheek. "For what you said a moment ago you're going to get so lucky later."

Just as he felt his pants tighten there was a banging staff from the Minister's box and the Aurors came to attention. There was still no sign of Dumbledore.

"All rise for the Minister of Magic. The Honorable Cornelius Fudge."

The Minister for Magic strode out to take his place behind the podium. His first words were not the traditional opening. "Aurors, seal the chamber." He waited, quite impatiently, while the dozen doors banged closed and then a gong went off as a shimmer of magic appeared just inside the doors.

Fudge actually looked at Harry and smirked. When the gong faded he banged his gavel. "This courtroom is now in session."

But the room shook, making many of those present scream in terror. Then a flash of light made everyone cover their eyes. When the light faded Albus Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the courtroom floor with a preening Phoenix on his shoulder.

The ancient Headmaster was holding an iron-capped staff and his purple robes seemed to have a live Quidditch match going on over their surface. Half of the figures were stitched in gold, the other half in silver, while the balls were dark gemstones.

Just as Fudge opened his mouth to speak Dumbledore banged his staff three times on the floor, at that the gong happened again, sealing the chamber.

"You are a fool Cornelius." Dumbledore said, looking around the chamber. "When next you try to bar me entrance, you must first ensure I'm not the holder of the Ward in question. And for the record, I hold the wards for Hogwarts and St. Mungo's as well as the Ministry."

No one seemed capable of answering after that so Dumbledore turned to Harry and motioned him forward.

Daphne dragged him forward until they stood beside Dumbledore.

"And a good morning to you Lord Potter and your future Lady Black." Dumbledore said with a slight bow.

Harry managed to mimic the bow while Daphne dipped a shallow curtsy. "And a good morning to you sir." He said through trembling lips.

"Now see here!" Fudge spoke up from above them.

"I think that's enough, don't you?" Dumbledore replied to the Minister who seemed utterly confused by that.

"Albus?" Madam Bones asked from her podium.

A flash of light seemed to go off in Dumbledore's robes, but when Harry looked it was just the seekers chasing the golden Snitch down his left arm. It vanished into the gold trim at the end and they went back to searching for it.

"Ah, good morning Amelia, are we ready to begin already? Last I heard it wasn't until nine and it's just seven now."

"Yes." Madam Bones said with a glance at the Minister.

"Oh, yes, our corrupt Minister was trying to pull one over on us." Dumbledore said making a large portion of those in the chamber gasp.

"What? I assure you he is corrupt. Gringotts has the evidence of all the bribes he's accepted over the years."

"They were donations!" Fudge yelled.

"We'll address your transgressions a later trial. Now, since this is a farce, I will present the only relevant bits of information and we can all get on with our day."

"What?" the Minister yelled.

Daphne pointed to the back of Dumbledore's robe where the scoreboard was. It suddenly shifted to 'Relax' before going back to the score. The Wasps were up by sixty on the lowly Cannons.

"First, there is no evidence against the accused. Why you ask? Simply because Mr. Potter has not had the trace upon him since October 31st of last year."

Dumbledore walked a slow circle around Harry and Daphne, looking up into the gallery, waiting for the loud discussion his proclamation had caused to die down.

When it began to quiet he rapped his staff once. "Please view the evidence now before you of this." He said loudly. In front of each member of the Wizengamot a copy of the book appeared for them to view themselves.

"When Mr. Potter was forced to compete in the Tri Wizard Tournament, a Ministry sponsored event, which was restricted to Of Age participants. He was emancipated. As the rules of the Tournament, as judged by Magic itself, superseded his actual age."

"Is this verified?" Madam Bones asked, being one of the few in the room who had an inkling of this turn of events.

"It is Madam." Albus Dumbledore said, giving her a bow.

"So where did the evidence of the Trace come from?" She continued, turning to the Minister who now resembled his green bowler hat.

Harry's attention was grabbed by the Seekers on Dumbledore's robe. The gold Seeker for the Wasps executed a Wronski Feint, burying his opponent in the trim at the bottom of the shimmering robe. The gold Seeker pumped his arm at his fellow gold-stitched teammates before taking off at top speed towards Dumbledore's right shoulder where the Snitch had again appeared. The score was 110 to 20, Wasps up over the Cannons.

Another sharp rap of the Headmaster's staff called his attention back to the courtroom. "I believe Madam, that evidence is on your desk now."

"Aurors' arrest Madam Umbridge immediately." Madam Bones said after a brief look at the papers before her.

"But she's my Undersecretary." Fudge said a bit petulantly.

"So you claim responsibility for her blackmailing Madam Hopkirk?" Madam Bones asked coldly.

The Minister could only gulp and crush his bowler hat to his chest.

The Aurors confiscated Madam Umbridge's wand and silenced her before leading her out of the Minister's box and over to the side of the chamber. They couldn't leave as the room was still sealed.

"I move that the charges against Lord Potter be dismissed!" Marlene said firmly in the silent chamber.

"Seconded!" Lord Greengrass said just before Madam Longbottom could.

"Members of the Wizengamot, please make your vote known by showing red sparks for guilty, gold for innocent." Madam Bones announced into the chamber.

No matter where Harry looked he didn't see a single red spark in the chamber.

Daphne bumped his shoulder and pointed at Dumbledore's robe where the Wasp's Seeker was lifting his arm in triumph as his teammates flew to surround him.

"Innocent of all charges!" Madam Bones announced, banging her own gavel.

"I move we re-instate Dumbledore as the Head of the Wizengamot!" Madam Longbottom said when the chamber grew quiet enough for her to be heard.

"Seconded." The Bones Proxy, who was sitting beside a grinning Susan, said.

"Wait." Madam Bones said. "I've a trial to complete before other business can be addressed."

Though Dumbledore was grinning he did not speak up, waiting patiently for Madam Bones to conclude the trial.

"Lord Potter, the Ministry finds you innocent and furthermore, awards you a thousand galleon award for the false accusation. Let the records be cleared. Lord Potter is an adult in the eyes of Magic, and I for one will not contest it. You may also appoint a proxy to sit your box as the law states you must attain seventeen summers prior to yourself taking that seat." The Head of the D.M.L.E. said, officially ending the trial.

"Now." She continued when the discussion ebbed. "I am going to right another wrong."

Harry wondered if she was suddenly going to pardon Sirius.

"Since Mr. Potter and his ladies have been run through the gutter by the Prophet, I will allow them a few minutes to speak before we move on to other business."

Oh, Harry thought, a bit depressed yet excited at the chance.

"Consort Potter, would you please join them?" Madam Bones asked.

Hermione stood, with Ginny right behind her. "Thank you Madam." She said and then followed one of Valerie's team down the stairs while the other came behind their Ward.

When Hermione arrived she stepped to Harry's other side while Ginny waited a pace to her left.

"Thank you Madam Bones." Harry said. "I am Lord Potter and Heir Black, for those of you who had yet to catch that. To my left is my future Lady Potter, my ever-faithful friend and Consort, Hermione Granger."

Hermione gave a short curtsy.

"And to my right is the dangerous and lovely Daphne Greengrass, my Betrothed for House Black."

Daphne gave an even shallower curtsy.

"Ginevra Weasley, owes me a life debt, she is currently the Ward of House Potter and was instrumental in uncovering her mother's plot against me and mine. Something I hope will yet be resolved in this very court."

"Who is Lord Black?" someone from the light side of the room shouted.

There was a continual murmur and Daphne whispered to him. "Tell them."

His eyebrows went up and he slowly nodded.

Raising his hand for silence, which he received almost immediately, he spoke. "Lord Black is my oath-sworn God-Father: Sirius Black."

When the tumult did not seem to end Dumbledore pounded his staff on the floor once again, which immediately brought the room back to silence. Instead of speaking the ancient warlock looked back to Harry.

"He was not my parents betrayer, that was Peter Pettigrew, who is a rat animagus and escaped into the sewers, leaving Sirius to take the blame. Lord Black is currently in France, recovering from his years of false imprisonment and seeking justice in that country."

Again Dumbledore was forced to use his staff to return order. This time he spoke into the silence. "Mr. Potter and his ladies have proven their abilities to me. I commend them on their speaking the truth when it was not the easy thing to do."

"Lord Potter, you and your ladies, may retire. All charges are dismissed and a statement will be printed on the front page of the Prophet to inform the public." Amelia said.

Harry bowed as his ladies and ward curtsied. "Thank you Madam." Harry said and headed from the room with a lady on each arm.

Valerie and Nymphadora were just in front of them while the other members of her team came behind Ginny.

Dumbledore's magic flared and the shimmering field over the door vanished.

"Aurors, you may remove Madam Umbridge from this chamber." Amelia said as Harry and his party walked down the hallway outside of the courtroom.

 _Wow, Dumbledore's still got it._ Harry two said in his head. _Why are you calling me two? We're both you, I can even control our body when you're being an idiot. I just get more time to think and understand what is happening._

 _I'm not… well I guess I am. Sorry. So what do you think is going to happen now, both Umbridge and Fudge were completely humiliated._

 _Who knows, I still don't understand all of this political crap. We'll need the girl's input. But the first order of business is to kiss the hell out of Marlene!_

 _Oh yeah, I'm a recognized adult now. Damn I should have said something about her when Madam Bones let me talk._

 _Well I didn't think of it either._

They arrived at the apparition point. "Marlene has the portkey." He said.

"Yes." Hermione said.

"I've got the portkeys to either Castle McKinnon or House Black." Daphne said.

"Black." Harry said and held out his hand.

When his Ward and Ladies took hold he turned to Valerie. "Thank you Mrs. Norwood. House Potter thanks you for your assistance today."

"Most welcome Lord Potter. I enjoyed the show, and being able to slap those bastards down." She grinned as Daphne activated the portkey.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

They arrived back in Black Manor just before 8am. Kreacher was waiting beside the portrait of his ancestor, both grew silent at their arrival.

"And how did House Black fare this day?" Walburga asked.

"Charges dismissed, the Minister has been utterly shamed by Dumbledore, and his Undersecretary arrested." Daphne said.

"Most excellent. Kreacher, a celebratory toast." Walburga said.

The elf snapped his fingers and a small glass of a smoldering Amber liquid appeared before each of them. The former Lady Black picked one up from a table outside of the view of the portrait and held it up in salute.

"Firewhisky," Daphne whispered while taking hers from mid-air. "Sip it." She added, turning to Ginny behind her she repeated the warning to sip, and lifted hers on high.

When the others had taken theirs Lady Black looked to Daphne who quickly provided a toast. "In honor of the Heir to House Black being absolved and his accusers beaten." She sipped from her glass, an action quickly followed by the others, both living and non.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny immediately coughed a small tongue of flame and then the sensation was gone, moving down their throats to settle like a bubbling cauldron in their stomachs. Daphne and Walburga merely closed their eyes while the sensation passed through them.

Fortunately their glasses vanished after that so none of them were subjected to further pain and torture.

"Wow."

"I'd rather not do that again." Ginny said looking for a glass of water, which Kreacher quickly provided for each of them.

"And where is Lady McKinnon?" Walburga asked.

Harry stepped a few paces closer to the portrait so he didn't have to speak so loudly before answering. "The Wizengamot is still in session. I don't know when she will be back."

"And how does your magic feel about this?" The portrait pushed him.

He closed his eyes, Hermione embraced him. He didn't need to look, he knew it was her in his bones, or magic, or whatever it was telling him these things.

"Unhappy." He whispered, receiving a nod from the brunette in his arms. "My magic is unhappy." He said loud enough for those in the room to hear.

"Good." Walburga said. "Thank you for answering honestly Heir. I will retire to another portrait and spread the news of your success at trial today."

A hand lightly pressed his cheek, longer nails than the lady in his arms had and opened his eyes to look into Daphne's ice-grey orbs. The portrait behind her was empty. A quick glance told him that Ginny was sitting in one of the many chairs, wrapped in a thick afghan and hugging herself.

"I feel it too love." Hermione said from his chest.

"And you Daphne? What is your magic doing?" Harry found himself asking.

Her beautiful red lips turned downwards but she answered readily enough. "I've always loved my aunt. She always took us out of the house when father allowed. And then she freed me from him, by trouncing him in a duel, and I've lived with her since. We've never…" She finally hit a troubled spot and hesitated a moment.

"We've never been intimate in any way, like Mine and I. Though we've shared showers and baths on occasion." She shrugged. "Yes, I'm attracted to her, always have been, but I don't know how that's going to evolve."

He squeezed her hand, he wasn't aware he was holding until that moment. "I'm still working through it myself, but I was worried you'd feel awkward about the whole situation."

"No," she smiled and shook her head slowly. With a glance to where Ginny sat she kissed him and then Hermione's pouting lips. "We should distract ourselves, but your Ward should not be left alone. Time for some wandless magic practice."

And like she'd been dipped in an invigorating drought, Hermione lit up in excitement. She shifted to pull Daphne to the nearest couch, leaving Harry suddenly missing her warmth. With a chuckle he joined them, motioning Ginny to move closer.

}-{

Some days being the 'Spear of the Light' was a boring exercise in holding her temper. After the brief recess, where Harry and the girls were allowed to leave, and Umbridge removed, the Wizengamot settled in for a fairly lengthy, and complex, trial. It was time to sort out the Weasleys.

As she'd taken Ginny's testimony, and heard of the evidence found from her Co-Hit Witch, there was little new for her. They had to take it slow though as Amelia presented the information to them.

"Members of the Wizengamot." Amelia said, while Dumbledore sat in a conjured chair in the precise center of the chamber and Fudge sweated in his chair. "We will now hear evidence in regard to the case Lord Potter referenced, the Weasley Family."

When the excited babble receded she continued. "Ginevra Weasley, gave sworn evidence, in the presence of an Auror, and Hit Witch. This evidence was that her mother, Molly Weasley, had obliviated her father, Arthur, and fed him love potions for as long as she knew. She also had planned to dose Lord Potter and his Consort with Love potions to have them wed two of her children."

Valerie Norwood stepped forward, until she was beside the chair Albus Dumbledore sat frowning in. Madam Bones then banged her gavel. "Mrs. Norwood is the Special Investigator I assigned to this case. But first the accused."

The prisoners circle, close to the Minister's box, vanished, and the majority of the Weasley family rose up, each bound by magic inhibiting cuffs, to large stone chairs. They were also muted as Molly Weasley appeared to be yelling at the top of her lungs, yet went unheard.

"Thank you Madam Bones." Valeria began. "We have confirmation, of the stated charges. Arthur Weasley is currently in the Excessive Potion Ward at St. Mungo's where they are attempting to slowly wean him from almost thirty years of being dosed with both Love and Loyalty potions. His prospects of recovery are not good. Both potions were keyed, and brewed by his spouse Molly Prewett-Weasley. Evidence was found during the initial investigation of both potions along with several others, keyed to young women, some of which were unwillingly present at the time of the investigation. These young ladies have been freed of their potion haze, and then presented their own evidence. Though at this time two of the young ladies are of age, the evidence collected shows they were first subjected to potions in their fifteenth year."

Valerie paused, taking a sip from a glass of ice water that had appeared in front of her, courtesy of the man sitting beside her. She sipped again and waited for the murmurs to fade.

"All members of the Weasley family have now been interviewed, those under age, with the consent of Arthur. The only ones unaware of this, and now cleared of charges, are William, Charlie, Ginevra, and reluctantly Percy. Unfortunately William is also in St. Mungo's after suffering a bludgeoner to the back of his head. His prospects of recovery are also bleak. After extensive interviews, both verbal and mental, we've discovered that Molly Weasley performed all of these crimes in an attempt to restore her maiden family to prominence."

Dumbledore suddenly stood, drawing the attention of the room and utter silence. "Many of you will remember the tales of the Prewett family's downfall. Several members sided with Grindlewald, and were subsequently killed in battle. Including a very memorable duel between Lord McKinnon and Lord Prewett, in which Lord Prewett killed himself and three of his family when it became obvious he could not win. This was done by shattering his own key ward stone, destroying their ancestral manor and most of their prized possessions. I myself interviewed the three remaining Prewetts, Fabian, Gideon, and Molly. The twins were of great help to the light during the battles against Voldemort, though they were each finally slain, while Molly seemed to settle down with Arthur. I can honestly say that I was unaware of the circumstances within their home."

He bowed to Valerie, dismissed his chair, and walked to the stairs, finally stepping into the Minster's box. He ignored the Minister who had yet to move or speak, instead sat clutching his bowler hat to his chest. Dumbledore nodded to the Hit Witch who stood waiting alone in the center of the chamber.

"Thank you Sir." Valerie said. "Molly Prewett grew up in the splendor of Prewett Manor, with servants and elves at her beck and call. Apparently she believed that such was her due, and pushed Arthur to provide this to her. When he could not advance fast enough, she turned to further use of potions. Gringotts presented me with a statement, in her maiden name, that showed she secretly had nearly a hundred thousand galleons in her own personal vault. We believe this was attained through sale of illegal potions, though that trail went cold. Yet with all this wealth her children wore paupers clothes and had second hand schoolbooks."

Valerie paused again, drinking from the glass Dumbledore had provided earlier.

"Thank you Mrs. Norwood." Amelia said. "The actual charges are thus against Molly Weasley, line theft. Use of love and loyalty potions on the Head of an Ancient House, use of love and lust potions on three minor girls, use of a ghoul as a sex object. I will not go into details of these crimes as frankly they sicken me. Further charges are against three of her minor children. Fred and George Weasley are charged with illegal potion experimentation on two minor girls including those sexual in nature. Ronald Weasley is charged with attempted rape of the daughter of an Ancient House."

"We shall now hear from the accused." Amelia said, though it was clear she was not looking forward to this part of the trial.

As the silence was lifted from them the first voice heard was from the youngest male, Ronald. "I accuse Harry bloody Potter of stealing my witch! I was there when she was saved, she should be sucking my cock, not his! My mum promised I could have any bint I wanted."

As the chamber sat in shock the voice was suddenly cut off. Dumbledore's wand flashed back into his robe. "Mrs. Norwood, was the validity of the life-debt tested?"

"Not by myself sir, but yes, and I have absolute trust in the one who performed it." Valerie said.

"I'm afraid we must have the name." He said.

"I verified it." Marlene said firmly, standing in her family box. "Consort Potter was placed in danger by the words of Ronald Weasley, therefore cannot benefit from her rescue, which Lord Potter initiated and Ronald reluctantly went along with. Magic showed that Consort Potter is tied so tightly to her Lord that only death can separate them."

"Thank you Lady McKinnon." Dumbledore said and she returned to her seat, though many of her fellows were suddenly filled with questions. "Let the records show that the life-debt owed by Hermione Granger falls solely upon Harry Potter. As verified by Lady McKinnon."

"As we have now heard from the youngest, let us proceed to the twins." Amelia said and nodded to Dumbledore who selectively removed the silence from the two red-headed menaces. "Fred and George Weasley, you have heard the crimes you are accused of, do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"We." One of them started but then looked at the floor.

"Mum said it was the way things were done, and at first it seemed to be just in great fun." The other said softly, though the acoustics of the chamber allowed most present to hear it well enough.

"I'd like to apologize." The first twin said, lifting his head to Amelia. "It seemed wrong, but I didn't question it."

Since neither of them seemed willing to speak further Dumbledore again silenced them. "With my long relationship with this family I must recommend the maximum punishment for these crimes." He said softly as though not quite sure he should say anything, yet knowing everyone in the chamber was looking to him for direction.

"That's for later, and as yet, you're not officially present." Amelia said with an indulgent smile, though she made no move to protest his seat in the Minister's box or his control of the trial.

"I claim the Prewett Lordship." Were the first words Molly spoke upon the lifting of the silence spell.

"The Prewett Lordship is patriarchal and I believe requires a male of more than half Prewett blood. None of which currently exist as your son's are only half." Madam Longbottom said loudly, clearly angry at the witch.

Instead of cowing her, Molly lifted her chin. "Then test Ginevra, she is more than half, her firstborn son will inherit then and she will restore me to my rightful place in life."

The volume in the chamber went up dramatically and Dumbledore again silenced Molly and a moment later the bang of his staff brought the rest of the chamber to silence.

"Mrs. Norwood?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." She said and then finished the glass of water before speaking again. "I'd hoped this bit of Weasley family history would be buried. When William Weasley was being treated in St. Mungo's it was revealed that it was in fact he who fathered Ginevra, upon his own mother. Molly apparently used her favorite combination of loyalty and lust potions upon William to get him to participate, and then obliviated the knowledge from his mind."

Molly, who could hear everything, but not respond, held her head up proudly in spite of the chaos such a statement caused in the chamber.

When Amelia looked green Albus banged his staff and stood. "Such information will destroy the young lady in question. I shall not allow that to happen. None present will be able to disclose it to another, in any form. Should the lady come forward herself then this compulsion will fade." With that proclamation his magic flared, aided by the wards of the Ministry the force pushed everyone back in their seats.

His gaze swung about the chamber, looking every bit the conqueror of Grindlewald and the greatest wizard since Merlin. He avoided looking up at Lady McKinnon, who was doing a credible job of looking like she had also been affected by his magic. The young lady, and her Lord, needed to be informed of this so he'd deliberately excluded her.

Satisfied he turned his attention back to Molly. "Your declaration is invalid, you cannot claim Lordship of a patriarchal line. Do not speak of irrelevant things. Is there anything you have to say in your defense?"

She only seemed partially cowed, her gaze shifting about the chamber for support. "I am the last full Prewett, I've resurrected my line."

"That is for the Wizengamot to decide." Dumbledore said, sliding to his seat as utter silence descended upon the chamber.

It took Amelia a few minutes to get herself back on track and clear her throat. "We've now heard the charges, and the accused have spoken. We shall begin with the greatest charge, Line theft. By using Love potions on Arthur to get him to propose to her, she removed his right of free choice to continue his line. Indicate your vote, red for guilty, gold for innocent."

There were several who emitted gold sparks, but not nearly enough to allow the Matron of the Weasley family to go free.

"The traditional sentence is Azkaban for life. Again indicate your decision, this time red for Azkaban, gold for another punishment which will be debated later."

Again the red sparks were presented.

Amelia banged her gavel. "Life in Azkaban." She proclaimed and Molly's chair sank into the floor leaving her three youngest children awaiting their fate.

"The twins have admitted their guilt and expressed regret, yet their crime is severe and three girls were victimized by their actions. Gold for innocent, and red for guilty."

This time the sparks were fairly close, actually requiring a tally, which was magically collected to be called out. "Guilty by under ten votes, this will moderate their sentence, which is typically ten years in Azkaban down to three." Amelia said and banged her gavel causing the twins to sink into the floor.

"Ronald Weasley is accused of attempted rape of the heir of an Ancient house, but is clearly delusional as to his rights. I move that the accused be placed under the care of St. Mungo's at this time. We shall re-address this decision when we have their evaluation." Amelia said.

It took a minute, but Marlene seconded the motion when no one else spoke up. She felt Harry would agree that his one-time friend had something wrong with his mind. And even the magical world realized that punishing the insane benefited no one.

The vote was taken and Ronald vanished to be taken to St. Mungo's under guard.

"Members of the Wizengamot." Dumbledore said, once again standing in the Minister's box. "Now that this is behind us, I must inform you that I will not seek to lead this body, nor this nation. My place is ensuring the safety of our society and running my beloved school. Yet I charge all of you to remember that our society will only survive by working together. I shall do my utmost to avoid the scenario of the last war, and a strong Minister will go a long way towards that."

Everyone looked at where Fudge sat cringing. When he failed to respond Amelia banged her gavel. "This session of the Wizengamot is declared over. Next full session is on September 3rd at noon in our usual chambers."

It took well over an hour for the well-wishers to each speak with Dumbledore and exit the chamber. The Minister had scrambled from the box as soon as the wards shimmered and vanished.

Marlene was surprised when her sister met her on the stairs down from her box. "Celeste?"

"Over here a moment." She said and stepped into a vacant box, pulling Astoria along with her. Lord Greengrass was still speaking with other families of the Grey on the other side of the chamber.

"Yes?"

"Astoria would like to speak with you." Her sister said and took a step back, pushing the teen forward.

"Aunt M." Astoria said a bit too softly to be heard over the conversations in the chamber. She quickly realized that and repeated herself, stepping even closer to her aunt. "Aunt M. When can I visit Daph?"

"Oh." Marlene said and quickly made a decision. "How about tomorrow starting at lunch, you can stay for a few days, but we're very busy."

"Yes." Astoria said and hugged Marlene, though she did it carefully so as not to harm either of their fancy clothes.

"Here, let me make you a portkey to the front porch." Marlene said and took out her wand.

"Use this." Celeste said, holding out a foot long piece of delicate lace.

Marlene, out of habit, cast a strong finite on the lace before taking it from her sister's hand. "Portus." She incanted, tapping one of the roses along the border of the lace.

Astoria gratefully took the lace and folded it into her pocket.

Marlene leaned down to her niece's ear. "It will only work for you. Hold it and say, Daph is the bestest."

Astoria giggled and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Tomorrow at eleven, we'll be waiting for you before we begin lunch." Marlene said aloud for her sister to hear. "Pack for three days. Is that alright Cele?"

"Yes, thank you." Celeste said and squeezed her sister's hand before pulling Astoria back onto the stairs to join Malcolm where he waited near the exit.

At last Dumbledore was left with Madam Bones, Marlene, and Mrs. Norwood, while her team replaced the Aurors at the doors.

"Why have you not acted so decisively in the past?" Marlene said sharply to Dumbledore. Her wand suddenly flashing around them to encase them in a privacy ward.

"I'm unsure if I shall ever do so again." He said, suddenly looking far frailer than a moment ago as he leaned onto his staff.

Fawkes flamed in and alit on his shoulder, instead of adding more weight to the ancient man's frame he seemed to relieve much of it.

"What's wrong with you Albus?" Madam Bones said.

"I have been projecting my magical aura since I arrived in this chamber. It's a trick I learned long ago. Alas it is very taxing on one's reserves. It was critical that the Wizengamot, whether they stand for Light, Grey or Dark, to see my power."

He paused and stood a bit straighter. "We all must diminish and move on to the next adventure. Poppy says I should allow others to take some of my responsibilities and focus myself where I can do the most good. This was necessary to ensure Lord Potter's position. And I'm certain all of you will agree that he is my logical successor."

"At some point in the future my firstborn son may contest that statement, but I shall not." Marlene said.

For centuries the title had been passed among only a few of the families. Albus and his brother were the last of their line, neither had produced any heirs, so the title would pass to one of the other Light families. McKinnon and Potter were the only ones that currently were capable of taking it up.

Dumbledore chuckled and met her eyes. "And that is a discussion for a son and his father."

The women looked at him, not in confusion, but at the ancient man's audacity to bring the subject up.

"Albus!" Marlene said sharply.

"Come Lady McKinnon." He said softly. "I see magic as well now as I did in my youth. Lord Potter will father your children or no one shall."

With great effort the tall, elegant woman controlled herself. "This is a private matter."

"Of course." He said, without even a hint of shame.

Valerie hugged Marlene tightly and then pulled back. "I'm so happy for you." She said with a broad smile.

"Magic has declared him an adult." Madam Bones said. "I'll not stand in the way of magic. You'll hear no protests from me or my office. How long do you have?" she asked, turning to Albus.

Dumbledore shrugged. "There is nothing actively killing me, though I anticipate having to face a certain Dark Lord in the near future. I hope to be able to best him and either contain or slay him, but nothing is certain."

When none of the witches spoke up he leaned his staff towards Marlene to get her attention. "I find myself in need of a Defense instructor for the coming year. Would you be willing to accept such a post?"

Marlene looked to her boss.

"You're free to do as you wish Lady McKinnon. Your own family honor has dictated your only responsibility and it would seem the best place to perform it." Amelia said quickly.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea." Marlene finally said to Dumbledore.

"But you need a valid reason to be close to Lord Potter, this will provide it. With you taking up the Defense position it will show the world that we're serious about stopping the evil among us." Dumbledore said. "He and his ladies will have their own chambers, as you will. No one else needs to know if they are connected."

"And if I find some of that evil within the walls?" Marlene asked, ignoring Dumbledore's attempt to provoke her.

"Then do as your office, and honor, dictate." He said after a moment's hesitation.

"Very well. Dumbledore, I'll accept. Though I'll need to bring an assistant along from my castle and he will need his own, disconnected, chamber."

Dumbledore bowed to her and vanished in a ball of phoenix fire with a smile on his face.

"That man." Marlene said as though cursing under her breath.

Valerie laughed and put a gentle hand on her friends shoulder. "Is worth his every eccentricity to have standing with us."

Marlene sighed and nodded.

"Go." Madam Bones said. "I'm sure your magic wishes you elsewhere."

With an exasperated look, The Spear of the Light, finally let out a soft laugh. "Yes. Yes it does." They didn't answer as she broke her silencing ward and strode down the stairs towards the main entrance.

"If we make it through the next few years, they'll change the world." Amelia said.

"They'll change it regardless of our presence, though I intend to ensure we do see it. Let's get you back to your own guard so my team can relax a bit."

"I'll have you know I'm familiar with the uses of a wand in combat." Amelia said without any anger as they went down the stairs.

Valerie signaled her team and those farthest away hurried down to meet them at the main entrance. "And we both know that the Light cannot afford to lose you."

Amelia laughed, "Since my death would see you as the next head of this department, I'll ignore that."

"But you'll walk with us to your office."

"I shall." Amelia said and they both laughed.

}-{

The citizens of the mixed village of Godric's Hollow were broken from their routine when the ground shook. Bathilda Bagshot was one of those citizens and she hurried to don her coat and slippers before stepping onto her porch.

People were screaming and things were flying through the sky. Her reduced vision didn't enable her to discern if the things in the air were people or pieces of homes, but the three giants were easy enough to identify, though much of that came from when one of them bellowed loud enough to be heard half-way to London. She scurried back inside, not bothering with the door and headed for the floo to notify the authorities.

Something struck her home before she made it and she was knocked unconscious. When she woke there was blood on the ground under her left side and a shard of wood through that arm, but people were still screaming so she crawled through the remains of her home to the floo. She was having a hard time breathing for all the dust in the air. At least that was what she told herself, though she realized she perhaps had a few broken ribs from her fall.

It took her several minutes to locate the jar of powder as it had been knocked to the floor. It was then she realized the fire had gone out.

Dropping the pinch of powder to the hearth she took her wand from her pocket, but the tip dangled loosely, connected only by the sinew of a dragon's heart. With a soft clack it joined the pinch of powder on the hearth.

The world grew dark around her as she tried to light the fire with a wandless spell, though she hadn't cast one in nearly a century.

The last thing she heard was a guttural voice scream, "Morsmordre!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Marlene arrived in the parlor of Black Manor to the smell of lunch. Her tension vanished when she heard Harry laughing from the dining room. She'd been aware of the growing pressure since he'd left the courtroom.

This entire scenario was insane and she really should be fighting their magical attraction much harder, but she was too torn as to just what to do. She'd given up on having children when she was sixteen, when her father had been slain by Voldemort to be precise. Since that moment she'd dedicated herself to stopping the evil he represented.

Harry came running into the parlor a moment later, broad grin plastered across his face. Hermione was close behind him while Daphne was still rising from the table in the background.

He surprised her by picking her up and spinning her around. She didn't laugh, she was far too controlled for that, but her arms did go around him as he let her down and her mouth found his before he could initiate a kiss.

Her magic settled immediately and Harry groaned into her mouth as his hands crushed her pelvis against his.

Hermione joined them in a suddenly too-intimate hug for Marlene who pulled back.

"Aunt M." Daphne said in greeting. She stood in the doorway to the dining room, perfectly composed, unlike the other members of her trio. "So the wards tell me you're unharmed, but that was a very long meeting. Now if my lovers can't control them—"

"No." Harry said, interrupting her. "I'm sorry Daph, but this isn't about control. It's time. Marlene, Lady McKinnon, I don't know the proper form for this so I'll just spit it out. Will you accept me as your Consort from this moment forth? I shall honor you as highly as either of my ladies, but my magic demands this be resolved among us."

Ginny squeaked, having just stepped into the room as his magic surged with his statement. She ducked behind Daphne as though seeking shelter, and that did seem to help as she visibly relaxed while the rest of them stood still as statues for a moment.

"Harry." Marlene said, twisting in place for a moment, but not immediately giving him the answer he desired.

"I don't care that you're older than I am. I don't care what the world says about it. What I do care about is the opinion of my ladies, and they've both agreed." He paused and took a deep, calming breath letting his Occlumency help him focus. "Regardless of your choice, we'll never abandon you. Our families have been tied together since the founding of this world and I shall not be the end of that. I swear we shall assist you to the bitter end, should it come to that I would be honored to die fighting beside you."

"Yes." She heard, and for a moment she thought she'd actually spoken before realizing it was her niece's so familiar voice.

Daphne moved beside her in a quick, fluid, motion and took her hand. "You are more concerned as to my feelings, and that's wrong." She caressed her aunt's smooth cheek with a delicate brush of her fingers. "I've loved you for years."

Marlene's heart clenched and she froze, this was what she'd been stuck on she suddenly realized. Not her feelings for Harry, but that Daphne was already his lover.

"It was because of what I felt for you that I knew what was happening when I fell in love with Mine. We're all meant to be together Lene. Do not push us away. You can find love, you HAVE found love, accept it."

Marlene opened her mouth to answer Daphne, she wasn't sure what she would say, but she had to reply to that. Daphne pressed a too-gentle kiss upon her lips, then did it again with a bit more force before gently tugging her aunt's lower lip with her teeth and pulling away. Their eyes remained locked and Marlene could clearly see the sincerity in them.

"Woah," Harry said into the silence, while the two beautiful blonde's stood looking into one another's eyes. "Tell me that was as hot for you as it was for me?" He asked Hermione, who stood with her shoulder pressed into his.

Marlene understood what had happened, and was still in shock about it, yet the actual experience had been enjoyable. No wonder Daphne and Hermione seemed so happy with one another.

The brilliant brunette nodded, licking her lips. "Yep!" She said with emphasis on the p, her eyes never leaving the entwined women. "That they're both immaculately dressed and elegant as any movie starlet certainly adds to the experience, doesn't it?" She turned to look at him, "And the way they both blush across the side of their neck makes me want to give them hickyes."

"Marlene?" He asked, causing them to break their stare and turn their heads to look at him. "Yes, or no?"

"Yes." She breathed with a gentle smile. "Thank you." She looked back to Daphne, in for a pound and all that, and pressed another kiss to niece's eager lips before speaking again. "And you my little imp. Are not little any more, but you are still impish!"

Daphne grinned at the old conversation. "One cannot change their nature, merely learn to use its strength and avoid its weakness."

Marlene laughed at the old rejoinder and they separated, she sat on the long couch. The others joined her of course, and then she spotted Ginny standing in the parlor door. "And you," she said warmly crooking a finger to the ginger. "Come here and have a seat, we're going to talk a bit and you need to hear much of it."

"Um." Ginny said and then moved to the smaller couch nearest them.

"So what happened after we left?" Hermione asked.

That sobered Marlene in an instant, instead of answering she stood and sat beside Ginny, putting her arm around the suddenly tense girl.

"We held your families trial." She informed the Potter Ward with a gentle squeeze of her arm.

Hermione seemed to apparate to Ginny's other side, pulling the suddenly crying girl into her arms.

Harry looked like he wanted to move, but with both sides of the girl covered that only left more intimate positions that he wanted to avoid. Instead he tightened his hold on Daphne's hand and waited.

It was the lady to his left who spoke up when Ginny seemed to have calmed. "Tell us what happened so we can help Gin."

Marlene blinked at her and then nodded, the direct approach had always worked for them in the past. "Molly was sentenced to Life in Azkaban, the twins three years each, while Ronald is heading to St Mungo's for a mental evaluation and a re-assessment after that."

The group sat in silence for nearly a minute before Harry cleared his throat. "Honestly that sounds rather fair of them. For a body that accused me of something I didn't do I expected something more radical."

"Yes." Marlene nodded. "The difference was all Dumbledore. He played the court like the master he is."

"What about the rest of my brothers and dad?" Ginny asked, deep in Hermione's embrace.

"Your father is in the potions ward of St. Mungo's, he is not responding well to the treatment to purge thirty years of potions from his system."

"So why don't they keep him on it?" Hermione asked. "I mean if he's not responding that should keep him stable."

Marlene shook her head. "He's the head of an ancient house, now that they know about this he has to be free of it…" She trailed off and then took Ginny's hand before adding, "or die in the process."

Ginny gulped and nodded, "Bill?"

"William was injured being brought in for questioning. His mind has been damaged, and they're not sure if he will recover. He's unconscious and not in pain."

"Who did it?" Harry snarled.

"I don't have the whole story so I won't tell you my guess." She said and her expression grew grim. "But when I have confirmation we will deal with it."

"Thank you." Ginny said.

"Charlie and Percy?" Harry asked after they'd all thought for a moment.

"Charlie is the acting head of the family. He's been recalled to meet with Gringotts, tomorrow or the day after." She shrugged. "I heard that from Madam Longbottom during the recess, before the actual trial mind you. Percy was being a prat at the trial, as they saw."

She turned back to Ginny to explain what the rest of them had seen. "He tried to insist on Harry being magically restrained and Daphne removed."

"No!" Ginny said. "I'll get him with the curse of the bogies!"

"Valerie Norwood, one of my Co-Hit Witches, put him, and Madam Umbridge in their place. Though Daphne, literally had a hand in that one too."

"The cow." Daphne muttered as Harry embraced her, pressing a light kiss to her temple.

Marlene cleared her throat. "On another topic, Astoria will arrive via portkey tomorrow about eleven, for a three day stay."

"Thank you." Daphne said.

"I'd like to see Charlie, visit Bill in St. Mungo's, and invite Luna. If that's not too much." Ginny said.

"Yes." Harry answered. "I'd like to speak with Charlie myself."

"We'll go write a letter to Luna next Gin." Hermione said from beside her, having released the younger girl as she grew less terrified.

"Yes, thanks." She said.

"Marlene, can you explain just why Dumbledore hasn't taken over like that before?" Hermione asked with a puzzled look on her face.

She wanted to shrug, instead she looked at Ginny a moment before replying to the question. She still had to tell them about her parentage. With a quick breath she addressed her answer to Harry. "I talked to him afterwards, with Madam Bones and Valerie. He's actually giving up his responsibilities, except Hogwarts. He said that his performance was required to ensure you succeeded him as the Leader of the Light. When he relaxed, after everyone else left, it did seem to take a lot out of him."

"He…" Harry started but trailed off in thought.

"Is he dying?" Daphne asked.

"He said nothing was killing him, except his age and, well Tom Riddle." Marlene said and shrugged. "So, I've got one more thing to discuss."

Her hand found Ginny's yet again, without looking. "And it's about Ginevra."

"What?" She asked sharply, having thought her troubles were over for the moment.

"When William was injured they had a mind healer go into his memories, trying to repair the damage done when he was attacked. Since he works for Gringotts there are only a few that are certified to do that to him. She, the mind healer, found several memories that had been erased so she repaired them."

When she stopped no one said a word.

"Arthur is not your father, William is."

"Merlin." Daphne said in the silence that caused.

"How…" Ginny started then shook her head violently. "No, I don't want to know how or even why."

"Actually you do need to know the why." Marlene said.

"Why?" Harry asked when no one else seemed inclined to.

"Your mother was trying to resurrect the Prewett house. The head can only be a male who is more than half Prewett. It's a weird rule, but no one ever said our world made much sense."

"But I'm a girl."

Daphne snapped her fingers. "Got it. Since your mother was full Prewett, and your father was half, magic will consider you full yourself. So long as the father of your child has some Prewett blood in him, and there are quiet a few if you really look, you our first born son will become Lord Prewett. As Lene's will become Lord McKinnon."

Ginny just blinked and for a moment looked happy, but then went pale. Harry just managed to conjure a bucket for her to hurl into in time.

When everything was cleaned up, and Ginny was sipping some soda-water courtesy of Kreacher, Marlene told them the rest. "You're thinking everyone will hear about this tomorrow, they won't. Dumbledore bound everyone in the chamber, except me, to not reveal it unless you choose to." She said pointing at Ginny.

"Thank Dumbledore!" Ginny breathed, coining a possible new term for the Warlock.

That caused Harry and Hermione to chuckle. "I haven't gotten used to swearing by Merlin yet and now you've invented another one." Harry said with a gentle smile.

"Well, it just happens sometimes." She said with a pretty blush.

Hermione ran her fingers through Ginny's hair. "Let's go get you cleaned up. We still have that letter to write."

"What about lunch?" Marlene asked. "I need to change first though."

"Lunch be waiting Lady." Kreacher said from the side of the room.

"Thank you." Marlene said and then Harry was standing in front of her.

"What's next for us?" He asked simply.

"Well first I need to give you that ring, but it's in the family vault." She stopped abruptly, looking fairly pale herself.

"Marlene," Hermione said firmly. "Just what is in your vault that both the goblin's and you are afraid of?"

"My father." She said and walked up the stairs to her room.

}-{

"What do you think Lady McKinnon meant?" Ginny asked.

After the stunning statement, which the witch in question refused to elaborate on, they had lunch and then separated to accomplish their own tasks.

"I think we'll find that out tomorrow afternoon." Hermione said. "I've found with both her and Daph it's not worth pursuing if they want to keep it a surprise. Obviously it is something that Marlene has avoided for some reason, and that the goblins are worried about. That doesn't give much to speculate on, so I'm trying not to. Now are you done with your letter?"

"Mostly, When should I ask her to come and how long can she stay?"

"Do you want her here with Astoria or after? How do they get along?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well they don't fight, but Luna would only fight if she was afraid for her life, and Astoria is very controlled, like her sister."

"I assure you Daph is far from controlled." Hermione said and then covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry." She said, looking anywhere but at the surprised ginger.

Ginny laughed and patted her leg, then whooped in glee. "It's not often you slip up, that was funny."

"Yes, well." Hermione said, shifting nervously on the girl's bed. "I know you're curious, Daphne told me about your conversation with her, but I thought she gave you a satisfying answer."

Ginny lost her smile. "She gave me a bloody scary answer."

"Oh, well yes I can see that. But to me it's like being in the best place ever. When Harry's magic flared earlier, you stepped back, but to Daph and I it was better than the finest chocolate in a relaxing bath. Have you ever felt like that about anyone? Just being near them made you happy or content?"

She bit her lip in thought and then tapped her nose with her quill. She almost said something twice and then her eyes went wide. "Bill." She breathed out.

Hermione nodded, "You once told me he was your best and favorite brother, and when he left, you got sad. It makes sense, your magic was telling you that he was your father. I bet he felt something similar. Now, when you feel romantically for someone, it might remind you of that. Regardless your magic will draw you together with them."

Ginny looked rather depressed for a few minutes, Hermione let her think through her feelings without interrupting. Being with Daph had taught her that bit of wisdom. Eventually she nodded, "Yes, thanks. I think Luna should arrive about when Astoria is leaving, share one day maybe? I know we haven't got a lot of time before school starts up."

"Sure, and tell her she can stay for three days, just like Astoria."

Ginny went back to writing but asked another question without looking up. "How are we getting this to her?" She suddenly looked up, "And how is she getting here?"

"Well Hedwig's been looking rather bored. So that answers your first question. And once we have a reply we'll ask Marlene to make her a portkey. She can deliver it or we'll ask Kreacher to do that."

}-{

"Ginny?" Marlene called through her door.

"Miss McKinnon?" Ginny said and hurried to open her door.

"Hermione mentioned you'd like to see Bill in St. Mungo's. I can take you, if you like." The tall woman said gently.

"Um, yeah." Ginny said. "Can I talk to Hermione a minute?"

"Certainly dear. I'm not going to drag you down there, but it's still early enough in the day and I've got the clearance to get you through the security around him."

"OK, thank you. Do you know where she is?"

"Well there are two places to find her around here, the library or their suite. Personally I usually try the library first." Marlene said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Ginny said with a blush and went downstairs to the Black family library. She found all three of them there. Hermione was meditating while Daphne read a book and Harry was searching the stacks for something.

"Hello." Harry said, noticing her first. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing behind her were Marlene was coming down the stairs.

"Sort of." Ginny said. "Miss McKinnon asked if I wanted to go see Bill now. Is that ok? Do any of you want to go too?"

"We'll go if you want us." Harry said simply. "He's your family, but if you want some privacy, usually it's best to not be seen with me. I tend to attract it."

"Gin, Aunt M. will keep you safe. But if you want us, we will go with you." Daphne said, putting her book flat on the table.

"No, I didn't want to make this a big journey. Just wanted to make sure none of you wanted to go before we vanish and then someone says they'd have liked to have gone." Ginny said, the words rushing from her.

"Relax." Marlene said, putting a protective hand on the ginger's shoulder. "What's the matter?" she said, sitting in the nearest chair and moving her hands to lightly touch Ginny's hips.

Ginny fidgeted a minute before answering with a shrug. "I guess, I'm nervous." She took a slow but deep breath. "Alright, let's go see my father, the real one." She added with a very serious expression.

Marlene nodded. "Two hours at most, more likely one." She said to Harry, while Ginny took her hand and they walked out of the library.

The apparition to St. Mungo's was over before she realized it had begun. If there was nothing else about Marlene McKinnon that awed her, her ability to side-along apparate as though taking a step through a door was certainly a sign of her power.

Ginny suddenly realized she was holding the Hit Witch's left hand, which kept her right hand free to use her wand and defend them. She hadn't noticed it back in the house, but now that others were around she saw how Marlene seemed aware of everyone at once.

Instead of speaking to the nurse at the main desk they walked over to the side where an Auror stood. He'd jumped to his feet when they arrived, and spilled his coffee on the floor behind him.

"Lady McKinnon." The man said and quickly passed two silver badges to her.

She handed one to Ginny and pressed the other to the collar of her cloak. "Ginevra Weasley, to see William Weasley and possibly Arthur Weasley as well."

"Yes." He said and wrote their names on a ledger.

Ginny looked at the badge. 'Restricted, no escort required.' It said in bold letters outlined in red. She pressed it to her collar as she'd seen Marlene do and it stuck in place.

Now they went back through the lobby and to the lifts, stepping into the first to arrive, after a pair of old men exited it. The lift rose and Marlene pressed her wand to a rune, preventing the door from opening.

"Did you want to see Arthur too?" She asked when Ginny looked up at her.

"I… No. Oh, well, yes I guess I would like to see him too." Ginny stammered through her thoughts as they came.

"I thought so. After Bill." She said and let go of the rune. The door slid open and she stepped out, wand still in hand.

Ginny followed, holding tightly to Marlene's left hand. There were two Aurors in front of a door, they looked at them suspiciously for a moment and then recognized her and their mood changed to sadness, nearly making Ginny cry.

"He's not awake Madam." One of them said to Marlene.

"We're aware Jackson. She wants to see her big brother." Marlene said in a surprisingly friendly voice.

The man nodded. "Sure." He said while his partner pulled the door open for them.

And there was big strong, ever-in-motion Bill Weasley. Yet it wasn't him at all, just the husk he walked around in. The first detail she noticed was that he was bald, why was he bald?

"He was hit in the head." Marlene said softly causing Ginny to whirl around. The door was closed and Marlene was sitting beside it in a chair.

"How long was I standing there staring?"

"About five minutes. You asked why he was bald. Since he was hit in the back of the head they vanished his hair. It will grow back, but they needed it out of the way while they healed him."

"But his mind isn't working?"

"No, at least not enough for him to wake up."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ginny asked.

"I could drag you into his mind with me, but I'd like at least one more person in the room we trust. We wouldn't be aware of what's happening while we were doing it. And I'm not sure if we could do any good."

She pulled Ginny closer, so she was standing between Marlene's knees. "Your magic might do him more good than anything. His will know who you are." She whispered. "Go talk to him, hold his hand and call him."

"I don't know if I can do that." She said.

Marlene nodded and gave her a smile. "Of course you can." She didn't wait for a response, merely took Ginny's shoulders and spun her to face her real father before letting go of her.

Ginny's own feet seemed to move against her will. She wanted to go slowly, but they took big steps, putting her beside Bill's head in a mere three steps. Then her hand got into the rebellion and grabbed Bill's as it lay on the sheets.

"Bill?" her voice cracked. She coughed and then tried again. "Bill?" then leaning close to his ear. "Dad? I know the truth now. I love you." She whispered.

Then she couldn't see clearly as she put her forehead on his shoulder and cried.

}-{

"Mrs. Norwood?" Katie asked when she heard the door open.

"Yes." Came the reply before she made it around the partition and became visible to the teenaged girl. "I'm back. Sorry, the Wizengamot took a long time to wrap up."

Katie sat up in her bed, finally wearing normal clothes again as she was being discharged. "So where are we going?"

"I live at Castle McKinnon. You're coming there with me, unless that's unacceptable to you?" Valerie said, coming close beside the bed and sitting in one of the chairs.

"Really? That's not a myth?"

"No," Valerie said shaking her head. "Quite a few of us live there. My husband, children and I live in our own suite. I can put you up in one of my guest rooms."

Katie grew pensive, shifting the sheets beside her before looking up. "I'd like to meet him."

"Who?"

"Charlie Weasley. The man I've been designed for." Katie answered gesturing to her pelvis. "They can't fix me. I heard them talking, pitying me, saying I'll never enjoy sex with a normal man, much less him getting anything out of it."

Valerie winced, damn insensitive healers. "Why do you want to meet him?"

"I saw him at Hogwarts when he was there for the tournament. He seemed ok, and he wasn't involved in any of this right?"

"Nothing I've learned gave me any indication he knew what was going on. He's lived in Romania since the summer after he graduated. I had one of my colleagues, in Romania, question him under Veritaserum. He is innocent."

"Will he be coming here because of this?"

"Yes." Valerie said. "He's now the acting head of the family. He's got to meet with Gringotts and sign some papers for the Ministry."

"Can I come with you? I assume you're going to see him."

"Kate." Valerie said, standing and taking the girl's hand. "I don't want you to make any quick decisions, and remember, I'm now your magical guardian."

Kate's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "I'm not… No."

"What?"

"I'm not going to mention any of this." She said, her voice higher than usual, gesturing with her free hand towards her pelvis. "I just want to meet him, nothing more."

Valerie looked into her eyes for nearly a minute before she slowly nodded. "Good, because even with your modifications there are plenty of men in the world that would qualify. Don't let this define who you are."

"No, I'm going to be a professional Quidditch player." Kate said with a lopsided grin, which suddenly became a frown. "Though the girls aren't likely to recover in time for school."

The Hit Witch pulled the teenager into a gentle hug. "They'll recover, though it will take more than a month to get the lust potion out of their systems."

"But they'll have to come to terms with what happened, like I did. I got fucked by a ghoul. I don't want to come anywhere near sex for at least a few years."

Valerie pulled back from the hug and looked into Kate's wet eyes. "Sometimes we are not in control and things happen, dark wizards prey on the weak. You're going to be just fine Katie Bell. No one at school should know what happened. All of the records are sealed."

"So? I should expect everyone to know." Kate said with a rough laugh. "I'm not afraid of that. I don't have a boyfriend to get jealous, I'm a Gryffindor and we charge forward."

Valerie found herself laughing along with her new charge. Yes Katie Bell would overcome this and move on with her life. Now she wondered if the other girls would be able to do the same when their chance came. The only thing she could do was ensure they got that opportunity.

"You are a silly girl. My daughter, Vickie, will love you." Valerie said. "Now, come on let's blow this Popsicle stand."

}-{

Ginny had soaked Bill's gown with her tears. She didn't know what she'd said or remember much of the last hour, except Lady McKinnon had waited patiently and Bill hadn't done anything to indicate he was waking.

"Would you still like to see Arthur?" she asked gently once Ginny had recovered. Several quick motions with the Hit-Witch's wand and her makeup was restored.

She poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher waiting in the corner and sipped it slowly while she thought. Finally she put the glass down and gave Bill's hand one more squeeze. "No." she said and walked to the door. "Let's go home."

Marlene nodded and canceled the locking spell she'd placed on the door.

Walking past the room was Katie Bell! "Katie!" Ginny called and swiftly stepped into the hall.

The brunette Gryffindor chaser turned in a fluid motion, her expression guarded. She waited for Ginny to step closer before putting her arms out.

Ginny leapt into the older girl's arms and they hugged intently for about thirty seconds before Marlene and Valerie tapped their charges on the shoulder.

"Katie is moving in with me." Valerie said to Marlene. "My guest room."

"And she is most welcome in my home." Marlene said gently, looking down at Katie who appeared shocked.

"She's cool." Ginny said, stepping back and taking Marlene's left hand gently. "I'll see you around Katie."

"Yes, sure." Katie added while Valerie put a hand on her shoulder.

Together the four of them headed down in the lift, the teens not sure what to say and the adults long accustomed to one another's silence.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

He had been lost in darkness, then something had made him aware once again. What was that? Where was he? What happened? He remembered following a blonde woman – Fleur! There had been a problem with Fleur, something he wanted to discuss with his mother.

Then a new memory suddenly surfaced. _Merlin, how could I have done that?_

He wanted to deny it, but the very memory was relentlessly hovering about his consciousness. _How?_

 _Oh, Merlin!_ Gin was his? But he felt only love and pride for her, in spite of her origin.

It had been her who woke him. Was she here?

His hand ached to move, give her any sign, but he didn't have enough focus to do so, and then the feeling vanished.

The memories, ones he would forget if he ever got the chance, overwhelmed him again.

}-{

Astoria arrived on the porch of the ancestral Black manor in downtown London as early as the portkey would activate. She looked around, noting the house next door had some very strange noises emanating from it that could possibly be described as music. Then the door was opening and her big sister was standing there, surprisingly with a smile on her red-painted lips.

"Story." She said and motioned her closer with open arms.

She stepped into her sister's embrace and inhaled her familiar scent. "Hey." She managed to say, then the air was pushed from her lungs in a rush as their hug suddenly grew tighter.

"Come inside." Daphne said, only pulling back a bit, and tugged her sister inside. Together they turned to face the other residents of the manor. "Astoria, let me introduce you to Harry, Hermione, and I believe you know Ginny."

"Hello." Harry said, holding his hand out.

Astoria took it, and he surprised her by turning her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. Before she'd recovered Hermione was brushing her fingers in formal greetings. Ginny gave her a more welcome hug when she turned to her.

"How's your summer been?" Ginny asked when she pulled back. "Mine's kind of sucked."

"Uh," escaped Astoria before her brain caught the smile on the ginger's face. "Oh you." She said instead and gave Ginny a second, much longer, hug before they parted and everyone moved into the living room.

She froze when she saw Aunt Marlene standing a few feet in front of her, dressed formally. "What's going on?" she said, and only then realized that everyone was in their family dress robes. It had been her sister's welcoming informality that had allowed her mind to gloss over that fact, but her aunt stood rigidly bringing it to her attention.

"Welcome Story." Marlene said. "We'll have lunch then I'm afraid we must visit my family vault in Gringotts."

"Oh." Astoria said, everything she'd ever heard of that place flooded her mind. The Greengrass vault was only a few hundred feet away and the last time she'd been there, there was a terrible gnashing and crackling coming from the McKinnon vault.

Daphne's gentle arm over her shoulder led her into the parlor, where she was turned to face the large portrait of a woman. "Lady Walburga Black, this is my beloved sister Astoria Greengrass."

Astoria curtsied, coming back up into her sister's embrace. "Lady Black, it is an honor to speak with you."

The woman in the portrait gave Astoria a measured look, and when it failed to make the girl nervous she nodded sharply. "Welcome into the Ancestral home of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, which your sister is admirably assisting in restoring. Enjoy your stay." She then waved and stepped from her portrait.

"To lunch." Daphne said, turning her towards the next room.

"I didn't bring my formal robe." Astoria whispered in concern as she sat beside her sister at the well-appointed table.

"I had one prepared for you sis."

"Oh," she said and then the table was full of steaming dishes. "Ohh, a Hotch Potch!"

"A what?" Harry asked, looking into the large pot in the middle of the table.

"One of Story's favorites, neck of mutton, onion, carrot, peas, cauliflower, and lettuce. If Kreacher pulled it from my mind, or no peas and add potatoes if it was from Aunt M's."

"It's our favorite, I see peas." Astoria said looking eagerly at the dish and then at Harry. "Would our Lord allow us to dine?" she suddenly asked him in a far more formal tone.

"Certainly." He said after sorting out that she was speaking to him, though he wasn't quite sure how he was her lord.

With a gleeful squeal Astoria reached for the serving spoon.

}-{

"Now that we've all dined I must say a few things ere we depart." Marlene said when they had all gathered in the parlor before heading to the goblin bank. She seemed very nervous and unable to remain still.

"Why are you being so formal?" Harry asked, stepping beside her, though she took a half-step back.

Instead of answering, Marlene took his hand and then closed her eyes. "Because I've done something terrible and you are all about to learn it." Her eyes opened and locked with Harry's green orbs. "If you decide to not accept my ring, I will certainly understand."

"So long as the offer remains, I doubt that is possible." He said. Though her magic had mostly retreated he still felt it reaching out to him.

"Lene?" Daphne said from just over Harry's shoulder, while Hermione moved to his side, silently showing her support.

Marlene sighed and turned so she was speaking to them in profile. "During the summer between my fourth and fifth year, a few months before your parents were attacked, my father caught Voldemort in a trap. Dumbledore and his Order were supposed to be there, most of them were not, claiming later to have believed the message a trap of the Dark Lord's."

She shrugged and faced them again. "Regardless, Lord McKinnon and his retainers, including my mother, brother, his wife and their adult children, attacked him. They lost, none of them survived. Several of the Dark Lord's inner circle as well as more than a score of his followers were killed, and was himself gravely injured in the battle. Our elves brought the dead and dying back to the castle. My father was moments from death and begged me to take up his mantle."

The only sound in the room was their soft breathing

"What did you do?" He finally asked.

"I ran away." She managed to say as Harry, Daphne and Hermione all gathered her into a hug. It was several minutes later when she continued. "Hours later the elves informed me I was now the sole surviving member of my family. My father had passed away shortly after I fled. But you see he didn't quite die, he invoked a curse upon himself. He cannot pass until I take up the Spear of the Light. I was so confused and angry and…"

She gathered herself, standing more erect and clenching her hands into fists. "And after all these years, I still am. Regardless, he's waiting for me in the vault at Gringotts. Hovering… perpetually… within the veil, but cannot pass through it."

"How is he in Gringotts?" Hermione asked as gently as she could in the silence that produced.

Marlene laughed bitterly. "Couldn't leave him sitting in the parlor could I?" she said and finally stepped away from the hug to walk to the front window. In contrast to the gloomy atmosphere inside it showed a bright, sunlit day. "He's a ghost. I was so angry at him and the situation he forced me into, that I bound him to his precious staff and left him there!"

Horrified as he was by what he'd just learned, this woman had earned his trust. He certainly couldn't claim to be perfect, but he still didn't understand. "What situation? You are the Spear of the Light, whatever that phrase really means. I've heard that from yourself and Dumbledore."

"Yes." She said. "I've taken the responsibility, but not the artifact itself." She pulled her long braid over her shoulder, uncovering the spear depicted upon her back. "The Spear is an ancient artifact and tool for the Light, it's been in existence for nearly three millennia. Evil cannot abide it's presence. But it demands much of its wielder."

"Why haven't you?" Ginny asked from the far side of the room. "You're the most honorable person we've ever met."

"Because, I wanted an actual choice, and never had one." Marlene said, her anger and magic flaring. "I had older brothers, they were killed, one of them had a son, he was also killed in that fight with the Dark Lord. I wanted to be in the fight with them, but wasn't of age so had to sit at home while my family, and my choices were stolen away."

Everyone was silent after that for nearly a minute, then Harry walked up behind Marlene and gently used her hips to turn her to face them. "You do have a choice, and you've made it, haven't you?"

Her eyes found his, though her hands remained at her sides. "Yes, because of you, I finally have a choice. I had long resigned myself to being the last of a dead house. I will release my father and take up the Spear. Before I present you with that ring." She shook her head sharply. "Not that I've earned a moment of happiness for what I've forced father to endure. Nor given you any reason to accept my offer."

Harry suddenly gave her an honest smile, "You were the very first adult to take responsibility off of my shoulders, instead of following the sheep, you forged your own course. I think you've tried to do that for your whole life. We've seen the honorable people you've surrounded yourself with back at your home. They believe in you and so do we. And I'm going to be in your bed tonight to prove it to you, if you'll have me."

"As will we." Hermione said, pulling Daphne closer to them.

"Guess I'm rooming with you, eh ginger?" Astoria said brightly into the thick tension of the room.

"Story!" Ginny said with a dramatic sigh, but with all the teasing going on around her for the last few days she managed not to blush.

Their attempt to break the tension went unnoticed by the older people in the room who all stood as though carved of stone.

Marlene finally nodded and produced her wand. She refreshed her makeup before producing a long red ribbon from her pocket.

}-{

They arrived in the Ministry building near the bank. Harry fell in a tangle of legs with Hermione and Ginny. They were all helped to their feet, dust cleaned from their robes, though no one laughed as they might have in the past.

The last time they had been in the bank, Marlene was under the concealment of her Hit Witch robes and garnered a lot of attention from both goblins and humans. This time she received even more. One old wizard, missing his left arm, called out a loud, "Bless McKinnon," though did not say why he was thanking her.

She lifted her arm and replied with a simple, "welcome friend."

People quickly recognized them and gathered to watch, though none actually tried to interfere with the tall woman or the group she led.

The Goblins all ceased their work when they noticed the party, the vocal complaints of the patrons the only noise in the suddenly silent hall.

"This way please Lord Potter, Lady McKinnon." The on duty manager said standing beside a door that led into the dark recesses of the bank. They followed him into a conference room and were offered tea, which they declined.

"What can Gringotts do for you? All of you?" The goblin asked.

"My Niece passed on a missive from your Lord. I'm here to retrieve the item I placed into my family vault." Marlene said.

"Yes, Mistress." The goblin said, relief evident in his tone. "Is everyone here going down?"

"We are." Harry said firmly.

"Yes, Lord Potter." The goblin said, bowing. "Merely a formality on my part. I will summon the carts to the lower levels and the warders to unseal the vault, please come with me."

}-{

Hermione spent the entire ride with her face buried in Harry's chest, just managing to refrain from screaming. One arm from Harry and Daphne held her tightly while their other kept hold of the cart.

Over their terrified lover they shared matching grins, showing their own appreciation for the long and thrilling journey.

When they reached the vault, a shimmering violet shield covered the doorway, and appeared to vanish into the stone surrounding the vault. It was crackling with effort to contain that within.

"NO LADY!" one of the goblin's yelled.

Ignoring the warning, Marlene walked up to the shield and placed her bare hand upon it. "Father! I am here! Cease!" she called out clearly.

The relentless magic, pushing from within, began to fade immediately. As it did the shield transitioned from violet to blue to nearly transparent.

"Open it." Marlene ordered the goblins, though she remained facing the vault with her hand upon the ward.

They quickly scrambled to three runes, etched into the floor and slashed their palms. Each dripped blood onto the rune and then chanted in their tongue for a minute. When they finished the shimmering shield vanished with a loud pop.

"daughter…" a faint voice came through the doors.

"I am here Father." Marlene said and pushed the vault doors inward with both hands. They moved silently and smoothly into the room, a room that had mist hovering about the floor in patches and was so cold they could see their breath.

Standing upright in the center of the room was a tall staff, with a roughly-cut diamond atop it and a red pennant hanging limply from where the two were joined. It was easy to see why the staff was called a spear, the diamond had been shaped into a rough spear-head.

Hovering just beside this was the ghost of an even taller man. His hair was long and wild, silver wounds wept from his visible flesh.

"Daughter…"

"Father." Marlene said, stepping mere feet from the spectre. "I've come to release you, and take up the Spear. I've learned that sometimes our choices are dictated to us by magic, I'll not accept Fate's hand, but Magic is an entirely different thing."

"The cursed one grows stronger," he pointed at Harry, "He was there."

"Yes," Harry said, then took Hermione's hand in his before continuing. "I was kidnapped and my blood was used to resurrect Tom Riddle." He stepped even closer to Marlene and put his free arm possessively around her waist, cursing the fact he was not yet tall enough to comfortably do the same with her shoulders.

He'd been diligently taking the nutrient potions and had grown over two inches, that still left him shorter than Daphne in her heels. "Know that I am Lord Potter and Heir Black. These are my ladies for those families, they have consented for me to become Consort to House McKinnon."

The spectre faded briefly before solidifying once again, his dark eyes focused on Marlene. "And so my daughter's heart warms. Forgive us child, we sought to protect you, not abandon you as happened."

Marlene looked down, leaning a bit into Harry, her hands clenched tightly together in front of her. "Perhaps I shall learn forgiveness as I learn love. But for now I shall right a wrong I have perpetuated. The Spear has been my duty for a decade on, let it once again be seen and feared by those with darkness in their hearts."

"Only those true to their own heart may wield it." The spectre warned, slipping behind the staff and beckoning Marlene forward.

Instead she turned, facing Harry and pulled him into a tight embrace. When she'd first embraced him, in the hallway of number 4, his neck had been between her breasts, they pressed into his upper chest now. Their lips found one another in a tender kiss that became warmer and more passionate as it continued.

Hermione and Daphne came forward, joining them, each with an arm about one of the couple. When Marlene lifted her head it was to turn and kiss Hermione with an equal passion. They parted fully two minutes later and Daphne was eagerly waiting her turn, which her aunt granted.

Back by the sealed doors, Ginny and Astoria stood, rooted, side-by-side, hands unknowingly clenched together in mutual fear. Both had enough courage to remain where they were, neither yet held enough to speak or move closer to the spectre.

Marlene, with a smile on her lovely face, turned back to her father. "My heart is un-troubled and knows whom it loves and is in turn loved by. I am ready to be judged." She extracted herself from the warm embrace of her loves and stepped in front of the staff. Her right hand reached behind her and Daphne placed the hilt of her Mogness blade into it without hesitation.

A quick slash and her palm wept red.

Daphne retrieved the knife, cleaning it with a spell, and re-sheathed it in her boot.

The taller blonde placed her bloody palm atop the diamond and held it there, while her blood ran down its surface. Nearly a minute later runes appeared along the entire lenght of the staff, glowing a blue-white. Once the runes reached the base, the whole length flared and Marlene cried out. Her free hand gripped the shaft tightly as she swayed.

Harry, Hermione and Daphne moved to catch the tall blonde woman should she fall.

When the light faded she was still standing there, now with both hands upon the shaft. "It is done." The spectre said. "And my curse is at an end. Dark will be victorious if the Light fades out."

"I will live and love. Be at peace Father and…" she trailed off, never able to finish as the spectre had vanished.

"And we love you." Daphne said in the sudden silence, finishing her Aunt's sentence for her. The room echoed with everyone else agreeing with Harry's betrothed before all six of them joined in a hug, the Spear of the Light, still glowing, stood at the center.

Harry had been worried about touching the staff, but it was just cool wood against his cheek as he briefly tightened his grip on his soon-to-be lover. "Not sure what I expected, but that was rather more emotional than I'm used to in Gringotts."

His attempt at humor worked to the extent that everyone relaxed a bit. "Thank you." He said to them all.

Ginny nodded, stepping back to the vault entrance again while Astoria and Daphne hugged Marlene even tighter before pulling away.

"So where is this ring?" Hermione asked, looking around the chamber. The others followed her lead and dropped their questions about the Spear to look around the chamber. There were chests, display cases, bookshelves and a multitude of miscellaneous furniture that seemed to be haphazardly pushed towards the back of the room.

"We'll have to look. It was in the cabinet that stood here. But everything got shoved out of the way." Marlene said, then the diamond tip of the Spear grew brighter, illuminating the chamber fully. "There." She said, tipping her head to a narrow display case that was full of rings.

They levitated the cases out of the way, forming a rough circle with them, before being able to reach the one in question. Marlene tapped it and the glass lid sprung open. She pulled a glowing ring from its slot without hesitation and then turned to Harry.

"Lord Potter, Heir Black, I offer this Consort ring of House McKinnon to you. I wish you to be the father of the next Lord of my house. Do you accept?"

"I accept." Harry said and his magic flared to meet that coming from Marlene. He felt Hermione and Daphne's magic joining him, while the Spear in her hand also grew in brightness once again before fading.

Harry stepped closer, holding his left hand out to her, not knowing which finger it belonged on.

The ring was dainty, made for a woman, but the resizing magic of it did not discriminate. With a brief flicker of the diamonds embedded in the band it enlarged to fit him and Marlene slid it onto the pinky of his left hand.

}-{

"What?" Nymphadora said to the Auror she'd come to relieve. "Say that again?"

"Mr. Lockhart took the boy to a book signing in the lobby." The man repeated. "Isn't that nice of him? He so famous!"

"I thought that's what you said. You stay here, I've got to go to the loo."

"Yeah sure." He said happily and sat back down.

Nymphadora sped away, past the loo and down to the nurse station. Nearly fifteen minutes later she had confirmation of her fears. Ronald Weasley, and Gilderoy Lockhart, were no longer in the building.

A quick slash later and her Patronus shot off through the walls of the hospital to Madam Bones. She stood there for another moment, contemplating if she should or shouldn't. "Oh, bugger it." A second Patronus was summoned and headed in the other direction.

}-{

They'd reached the back of the lobby when a silver jack rabbit appeared and spoke in Nymphadora's voice. "Ronald has escaped St. Mungo's. Be vigilant. He was talking about catching her. Lockhart helped him, they're both gone."

"Lockhart?" Harry asked. "Wasn't he a vegetable?"

"Not really, he was able to sign his name. I guess they were able to unlock some of his memories." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Luna!" Ginny breathed, not quite believing her own thought.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked. "Ron was ranting about me at the trial."

"He's always been obsessed with her, she lives near the Burrow!"

"Marlene!" Harry said in sudden concern.

"Yes, we'll head to the Rookery." The Hit Witch said and tapped the butt of her new staff on the marble floor. "I must make a brief appearance in Diagon, then we will portkey to retrieve Miss Lovegood."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"The Spear demands it." She said and walked across the lobby, staff raised high and glowing brightly. The light grew to fully illuminate the interior of the vast, vaulted, chamber.

Harry felt its magic pass through him, this was more than light, a brief twinge of remembered pain flit across his brow, otherwise he was refreshed as though listening to Fawkes sing.

One woman, possibly a hag, collapsed on the floor of the bank with a strangled scream. No one moved to assist her as the magic of the Spear washed over them.

"Evil cannot abide The Light." Marlene said loudly and strode onto the steps of the bank.

There was a Hit Wizard a dozen paces away speaking to a group of children, he lifted his own staff in greeting, but didn't speak as they walked past him. Perhaps a handful of those present collapsed as the woman had in the bank. Many whom the light touched began to cry or sob, only a few actually smiled and seemed cheered by it.

When Marlene reached the center of the alley she stopped, the Spear pulsing with even brighter light. She stumbled and was supported by Hermione. The Spear dimmed down to a faint glow and Marlene took a ragged breath.

"That's enough to satisfy it for now, hold this." She said, handing a the red ribbon to Daphne and used her wand to recast the portkey spell.

"Everyone take hold." Harry said.

Ottery St. Catchpole appeared around them a moment later. Harry stumbled, slipping down a small embankment, fell and slid fairly hard into a wooden fence. He was furious with himself until Daphne danced lightly down the same slope and pulled him to his feet in a surprising show of strength.

Hermione kept holding Marlene's arm, more for the benefit of the Hit Witch, who had yet to recover from the Spear's display in Diagon.

"This way." Ginny said, pointing up the gently sloping path, trying desperately to ignore her Lord in his embarrassment.

The Rookery came into view when they rounded a large tree. There was a high-pitched scream and Daphne immediately sprinted ahead, a second later Harry took off in her wake with the others trailing behind.

Daphne had her wand and knife in hand so Harry pulled his wand out and ran faster to catch up with her. They pounded over a short bridge which crossed a small stream, and up the side of the hill.

The tower gave a mighty groan and shifted, pieces near the top broke loose and plummeted towards the ground.

Suddenly he was passing Daphne and leaping over a short gate that had animated chalk creatures he didn't recognize drawn upon it.

The whole base of the tower seemed to be laying atop a pile of dry branches, but they were moving on their own. Suddenly several stalks extruded from among the branches, with eyes atop them and he realized the branches were tentacles.

 _What the hell is going on here?_ He asked himself.

And Harry two replied. _Don't have a clue, this isn't something I've ever heard of. We've got to get linked to Mine so we can figure this shit out._

He lifted his wand, cutting curse on his lips, and was then shoved to the side by Daphne. A burning in his right ankle told him something still managed to hurt him. Before he could get his wand pointed in the right direction her blade neatly severed the tentacle.

"Shield us." She said and yanked him to his feet before running towards the gaping doorway of the house.

He threw a strong shield in front of her and scrambled to give chase. Several tentacles slammed into it, he grunted at the effort, but held the shield. Then they were up the stairs and inside. A kitchen occupied half of the first floor, dust and debris rained down from everywhere.

"LUNA!" Daphne screamed once they were inside the shaking tower.

Harry spun to check the doorway, so far there were no signs of tentacles, but that could change at any minute.

The girl's scream sent a cold shock through him. Upwards, that had to come from higher in the tower. He ran up the spiral stairs, taking them three at a time, Daphne hot on his heels.

On the third floor they found a white-haired man frantically waving his wand at some machinery. He ignored them as they flew up to the next level of the tower. There they finally located the screaming girl, she was in the middle of a large bed, surrounded by a mountain of blankets and pillows.

Daphne paused only long enough to put away her knife and wand before scooping the surprised girl into her arms. "Hold tight." She said to the terrified blonde.

Before they could start down the stairs the home tilted twenty degrees in the opposite direction.

He slid into the bed, grabbed the girls and just kept them all on their feet. When the tower stabilized, he pulled them towards the stairs.

Marlene yelled from below, "Where is your daughter?"

The white-haired man was now in an empty room with Marlene and looked rather confused as Daphne sprinted past them, his daughter in her arms.

"Come on!" Harry yelled, grabbing the man's arm, trusting Marlene to be able to fend for herself and hoping that everyone was outside of the range of those tentacles.

The front door was now under ground, but the window on the opposite side had been torn out and Daphne sprinted towards it, Luna holding tightly to her.

The house shifted again, dropping at least a foot into the earth. Daphne leapt onto the counter by the window and threw herself and Luna outside without slowing.

Harry turned to make sure Marlene was with them, she was behind the man who didn't seem to be capable of deciding where to go. Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the window his betrothed had used.

Instead of trying to leap out carrying the taller man Marlene levitated him ahead of them and outside.

The tower dropped another few feet, making their escape route un-usable.

Marlene took his hand, pulled him close to herself, then the Spear glowed and they were encompassed by a bubble. Together they passed through the side of the tower.

Hermione was standing by the bridge with Daphne leaning on the railing beside her. Luna, Astoria and Ginny held one another between them. The white-haired man was just landing in front of Hermione at the direction of her wand.

Marlene directed their bubble to the bridge as the house behind them vanished into the hill it had stood upon for centuries.

Hermione cast a shield around everyone as bits of debris flew in all directions.

Marlene had exhausted herself further so Harry tightened his grip on her waist to hold her erect. Though she was trembling and gripping the Spear tightly, her eyes were wide open in astonishment.

The tower was simply gone, a faery ring which outlined where the base of the tower had been was the only thing left to signify its presence.

"We've got to get that off of your ankle." Daphne said in the silence and knelt beside Harry.

"What?" Hermione said, looking at Harry's legs.

"It's gone?" Daphne said, running her hand along his leg, though he winced at remembered pain there was no visible wound.

"It was the fae." Luna said in a breathless voice. "Oh father, I warned you." She said and then started crying on an embarrassed Ginny's shoulder. But the Gryffindor girl refused to step away, instead holding her first friend tightly.

"The fae have reclaimed their territory?" Marlene said as Astoria helped the man to his feet. "Xenophilius, what did you do?"

"I…" He started to speak but when he saw his distraught daughter he trailed off. With a shake of his long white hair he looked back to Marlene. "I've apparently broken the pact my ancestors forged. Could you perhaps watch my daughter for a while? I've a long journey to make and… I've got to fix this." He finished. Without waiting for an answer he stepped to Luna and placed a gentle hand on her trembling shoulder. "Don't worry tumble-bug Daddy will fix this."

His daughter looked up from Ginny's shoulder and shook her head. "No, don't go."

He gave a sad smile, "But I must. As you said, I've gone too far and broken the pact. A Lovegood must appear in the fae court, and you're too young Jezebel."

Luna stared at him, eyes wide open, and finally he stepped back again. "I place my daughter in your care Lady McKinnon. I know not how long I shall be."

"She will be safe with me and I shall treat her as family." Marlene said solemnly.

It looked like Mr. Lovegood was going to say something further, instead he closed his eyes and apparated away with a loud pop.

"No." Luna said softly, slowly shaking her head.

"Home." Daphne said, pulling the portkey to Black Manor from her robe. "Everyone take hold." A minute later they whisked off into the ether.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"I thought you said there was a house here?"

"Um." The ginger-haired boy said and scratched the top of his head. "Maybe it's invisible?"

"Ah, yes. I remember that happening in Gadding with Ghouls. One of the Ghouls took refuge from me in just such an edifice!" The blonde-haired man said and began waving his wand dramatically into the clearing before them.

}-{

"This way Luna." Astoria said, gently pulling the lost looking girl up the stairs. "We're in with Gin. Oh, that rhymed. Can you make one up too?"

"Maybe." Luna said as she continued to climb the stairs.

"We'll see you for dinner." Hermione told Ginny.

"Kreacher will get another bed set up and find Luna clothes." Daphne said.

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure, we'll be fine." She said and followed her friends up the stairs without a backward glance.

"Did we do the right thing?" Harry asked.

"I didn't see an alternative." Marlene said with a slight shrug.

"How long will Mr. Lovegood be gone?" Hermione asked. "I've not read up on the fae court."

"Truth be told, he may not make it. Whatever transgression he performed had to be fairly severe. Lovegoods have been allies of the court for almost a thousand years." Marlene said.

"Oh." Hermione said, taking a half-step after the younger girls.

"We'll support her." Harry said, looking up at the empty stairs.

"Of course." Daphne said, then turned to her aunt. "Lene, you've got thirty minutes. Remember what I told you."

"What?" Marlene said, looking into her niece's eyes. "OH! Yes." She suddenly said. Fatigue forgotten she headed up the stairs, staff held high so it wouldn't bump on the wooden steps.

"To our suite." Daphne said, pulling Harry upwards. "Just enough time for a quick wash. I swear I've got dirt inside my bra."

"Oh, can I help you with that?" Harry asked, suddenly eager to get up the stairs.

"You'd better, or Mine will have to do it all by her lonesome." Daphne said in a gently-teasing voice.

"Got to keep her squeaky clean." Hermione said with a laugh and gave Harry's bum a quick squeeze as she chased them upwards.

The bath was already running when they entered their suite, showing them how attentive the house-elf was. While Harry helped remove Daphne's dress, Hermione knelt and began unbuckling her tall boots.

Harry found himself distracted by Daphne's moist lips and captured them in a fierce kiss, pulling her against him.

"She needs to be naked for a bath." Hermione said from below them and ran her hand up his inner thigh to cup his cock through the fabric.

He couldn't help himself and jumped at the sudden sensation, breaking the kiss. "Mine…"

"No, I'm not jealous, help me get her clothes off and you can kiss her all you want."

"Oh, sure." He said, his hands returning to the business of undoing the tight column of buttons along the left side of Daphne's torso.

"I preferred the kisses." Daphne said with a cute pout, holding her arms up to allow them better access to her clothes.

"Why is your dress so hard to get in and out of?" Harry asked on the fifteenth button.

"Fashion." The blonde Slytherin said with a gentle toss of her golden locks.

Hermione stood, placing Daphne's boots at the foot of the bed and returning to help Harry with the buttons. "It's like unwrapping a present." She said and munched on a delicate shoulder as it became exposed.

The pair of them laughed at Daphne's unrestrained moan. With the final buttons released the whole dress opened like a shell and their companion stepped out, dressed only in a purple silk bra and panties. Her porcelain skin showed where the fabric had pressed deeply into it.

Harry and Hermione pounced on her, each claiming a side of her long neck to nibble on.

"Why are you two so nice to me?" she whispered, her eyes closed, one hand on the arms of her companions.

"Why shouldn't we be?" Harry asked, his hands busy removing his own clothes.

"I guess if not for times like this I'd feel like I was intruding. The connection the two of you share is so woven into everything you do."

"Daph." Hermione said, cupping her lover's cheeks gently as Harry paused in unlatching the lacy purple bra. "You're with us. I'm not hiding a thing from you."

"Nor I." He added and helped her remove her top before shoving her knickers down and scooping her into his arms. "Bath time princess."

"Hey, why is she the princess?" Hermione said with a quick stomp and pouty lip.

Harry paused and glanced down at the nude girl in his arms, before looking at the still-dressed one. He hurried into the bath without more than a broad grin in answer as Daphne laughed warmly.

}-{

Twenty-five minutes later the three of them were bathed, hair magically dried, and standing at their door wearing nothing more than bathrobes. The girls had not applied any makeup or perfume, and had their hair tied back with simple black ribbons.

"Why are we going to her room?" Hermione asked.

"Because Harry is her Consort, and we're tied to him." Daphne said and when he looked at her in concern, quickly added. "She's not expecting to be in charge love, so don't worry about that. She'll follow your lead, it's just the formal way this is done."

"Oh, okay." Harry said.

"And I suspect this is her first time." Daphne continued, causing both of her companions to gasp and look at her. "I've never known her to have a lover."

"So, we'll take that into account." Harry said, receiving a hug from both sides instead of a verbal response. "Coming my ladies?"

"Of course My Lord." Hermione said.

"Where you go, so shall I. E'en unto Hell itself." Daphne added in a surprisingly solemn voice. She then tugged Harry forward when he hesitated to look at her.

A moment later he knocked twice on Marlene's door.

"Enter." She called from within and he pushed the door inward. Marlene stood a dozen feet away, wearing a black kimono. Her bare toes dug into the thick carpet she waited upon. "Lord Potter." She said in greetings as they entered and closed the door.

"Marlene." He said, stepping in front of her and gently brushing her loose hair behind her left ear. Without her usual makeup he discovered a light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. "You're beautiful." He added bravely and saw her grin in response, tension draining from her brow.

"Thank you." She said and found one of his hands to squeeze. "It's been a while for me." She added softly, as though worried the younger girls would find it offensive.

Harry nodded and hugged her with his free arm, so she had known the touch of a man before. Strangely he wasn't troubled by this at all, instead he grinned, he'd be her last. He kissed her neck gently, lightly licking upwards as she bent her head back groaning. He didn't have a script, and didn't know what his ladies were going to do, but none of that mattered right now, his focus was on Marlene.

The lighting in the chamber dimmed, leaving the Spear of the Light the brightest object in the room. Half of Marlene was in shadows, but the silhouette made him groan and tighten his grip on her hips.

They slowly moved closer to the bed, the Hit Witch moved so easily with him he thought she might have been levitating instead of walking. When they were a foot from it Daphne stepped behind Marlene and Hermione behind him, they deftly removed the soon-to-be lovers robes.

With only a few inches separating them, Harry didn't even try to look at Marlene's body. He knew she was in spectacular shape, from her constant preparations for war.

The mass of her breasts pressed against his chest as he brought his mouth to her eager lips. His magic surging with his arousal. It passed through Hermione and Daphne, augmented by their own substantial powers, before enveloping Marlene.

She gasped into his mouth and nearly lost her balance, but was steadied by Harry's arms crushing her against himself. As she recovered her footing her magic joined with his, but instead of the welcoming strength of Hermione, or Daphne's absolute precision, this was more like the solidity of the Great Pyramid.

He didn't have any time to contemplate as with their magic melding, their legs could no longer support them. They ended up on the bed, crooked and lying atop one another's arms. This caused a warm, throaty, laugh to erupt from Marlene. She rolled him over her and then slid atop him, leaving them safely in the middle of the bed.

The interruption had broken the brief intensity of the moment and Marlene's lust-darkened eyes bore into his. "Do you mind if I'm on top the first…?" she asked, glancing between them to where they were nearly joined, but trailed off as a pair of nude girls bracketed them on the bed.

"We'll help you." Hermione said.

"Up Lene." Daphne said and they pulled the Hit-Witches legs until she was squatting atop him. Her long, toned legs easily accommodated the position.

"He loves it like this." Hermione continued.

"Spectacular." Harry said in awe as he got his first real look at her. He couldn't have kept his hands from lifting the magnificent orbs before him if his life had depended upon it. Such awe-inspiring perfection simply had to be worshiped. His mouth latched onto her pink nipple a moment later causing her to gasp.

"Ohh." Came from Hermione's lips and then they joined Harry's a split-second later to encircle the remaining nipple.

Marlene gasped at the sensation, first of her consort's strong hands caressing her breasts and then being suckled on by a pair of eager teens.

Then Daphne was beside her, helping her lift herself still further. "You have to get much higher to get the head of his cock inside you. C'mon Lene, up!" One of her hands was behind them, on Harry's cock, while the other slid down her taught stomach to caress her pubic mound. "Ohh, you did shave, Harry loves that." She whispered huskily into the shell of her aunt's ear, while her middle finger caressed the swollen nub of pleasure she found.

Marlene gasped and rose up a few more inches at the sensation, but the hand stayed with her, eliciting further moans from the witch.

"There." Daphne said as the head of Harry's cock finally rubbed between her legs instead of against her ass. Using both of her hands, the blonde witch maneuvered the head into the wet warmth.

Harry did something magnificent with his mouth, causing her to shudder as a climax ripped through her.

Daphne held her until she recovered. "Parseltongue Lene." She explained. "Now get this cock inside."

With her mind a bit fuzzy from the attention and all of the swirling magic in the room, Marlene lowered herself quickly and several inches of his cock slipped into her. "Ohh…" she groaned.

Daphne's gentle lips joined with hers and she swallowed the sounds.

Harry used Parseltongue on her nipple again, while Daphne kissed her fervently, her long finger still flitting over her aunt's swollen clit.

Marlene kissed her niece even deeper, their tongues dancing delicately. With her hand on Daphne's shoulder for added support she lifted herself an inch and then dropped onto the shaft between her legs.

Harry groaned, Marlene's nipple pulled from his suddenly slack mouth, showing it had stretched dramatically. Before anyone could adjust to the new position Marlene lifted herself and dropped again, finally getting all of his cock inside her cunt.

"Ohh." She groaned, gyrating her hips a bit to get accustomed to his welcome size.

Daphne's hand returned to slowly rubbing her aunt's clit back and forth.

Hermione had maintained her hold, by wrapping both of her hands around the base of Marlene's breast and squeezing tightly. She continued to nurse on the swollen nipple sucking it deeply into her mouth.

"Ohhh." Marlene moaned, combing her long fingers into Hermione's hair and pulling her closer, shoving her deeply into her tit-flesh.

Harry twisted and got his mouth back on the wet nipple he'd lost a minute before and Marlene leaned down again, allowing them to lay upon the bed.

In the new position Daphne couldn't kiss her aunt and her fingers were pinched between their pubic bones so she shifted to behind her aunt and rubbed her honey-slicked fingers over her aunt's rose-bud. Immediately she felt a cold sensation as a spell went into her ass.

"Daph?" she groaned, twisting to look over her shoulder at the grinning girl behind her.

With a smirk the blonde pressed the tip of her middle finger inside and Marlene shook as she went over the edge.

Her shattering around him caused Harry to erupt, going solid as a piece of carved granite for several long seconds.

When they recovered a minute later Marlene husked, "Wicked girl."

Daphne merely smiled and gently worked her finger around inside her aunt's ass causing her to bite her lower lip and groan yet again. Her free hand slowly walked up the ladder of her bent spine.

"Are you in her ass?" Hermione said, shifting from under the tall blonde to join her companion.

"Umm hmm." Was the only reply she got. Hermione and Daphne spread Harry's legs and then he felt the cold sensation in his own ass.

"What?" he said, jerked out of his bliss.

"Stay still." Hermione said and worked a finger into his ass.

"Merlin." He hissed out.

"Harry… they're playing with my ass." Marlene complained.

"Mine too." He laughed around her nipple and reclined onto the bed, stretching his arms over his head and pushing his hips up against her.

"Ungh… Any more relaxing and you'll have to hold me up."

"Can do." He said, his hands sinking into her luscious tits and pushing until her arms came off of the bed.

Suddenly Hermione brushed her finger over something inside him and his cock surged to full readiness. "Mine!" he hissed between clenched teeth.

"Just a little prostate massage." She said with a laugh while lightly holding his balls and he found his cock simply had to move, since he was still buried in Marlene, he thrust into her.

Marlene never came down from the peak she'd reached. With two of Daphne's long fingers in her ass and Harry's hard cock buried in her, she simply floated in complete satisfaction while he thrust up into her with increasing force.

He took far longer this time, and when he finally emptied into her they were both covered in sweat.

She woke laying atop his sweaty chest. The fingers and cock had slipped free from her and she felt decidedly empty at their loss.

The younger girls cast wandless cleaning charms on them all and then lay down beside them. Hermione pulled Marlene to lay between herself and Harry.

Daphne snuggled tightly against Harry's side, her head on his shoulder and then nearly purred as his arm tugged her in tight.

"Now that's contentment." Marlene said, brushing her fingers over her niece's breast where it rested on his chest.

"We came with you that last time." Hermione mumbled into the back of Marlene's neck, as she fit a hand between the new lovers to press against Marlene's stomach.

"Intense." Marlene said and finally rested her head on Harry's other shoulder, his arm pressing Hermione tightly against her back.

"No more." Harry said, meeting the brilliant girl's eyes, and then pressed a kiss to the top of both blonde's heads.

"No more." Hermione agreed and sighed softly.

}-{

Daphne woke with a sharp intake of breath, instantly aware that something was wrong. She was still lying, half on Harry with her head on the pillow just off of his shoulder. Hermione and Marlene cuddled together on his other side. She deliberately calmed her breathing and reached out with her magic.

Then it came again, a jagged pull on her magic. She found herself standing, nude, beside her sleeping companions, wand in hand.

"Mistress feels it too?" came the astonished rough voice of the Black elf.

She couldn't speak as another pain shot through her core, but nodded turning to face the malformed house elf in the corner of the room.

"Lord Black is grievously injured."

"Help him!" she ordered immediately and the elf vanished with a loud pop. She couldn't believe she was so in tune with the Black family magic already to feel this. Perhaps she was a bit more than the 'acting' Lady Black?

"What?" Harry's groggy voice asked as he began to wake.

"We need to get up." She said with a forced calm in her tone, running a gentle caress down his chest. But then another sharp pain went through her and she gasped, fisting her free hand.

His brilliant green eyes focused on her and he took in her tense posture in an instant and jerked upwards. "What's going on?" he said sliding to his feet while Marlene and Hermione were jolted from contented sleep.

"Sirius is hurt, it's not me." She added to alleviate the anguish her pain was obviously causing him. "I've sent Kreacher to aid him."

"Where?" Marlene said, her wand flying to her hand from the dresser.

With Harry holding her, Daphne shook her head. "I don't know. I woke to the pain, Kreacher was here and asked if I felt it too. Then he said Lord Black was hurt. I sent him to give him aid."

"Let's get dressed." Hermione interjected and scrambled from the bed, tossing her companion's their robes before sorting her own out.

"Yes." Daphne said, half-way to the door, sliding an arm into her robe and laying it over her shoulders. She went to one knee just before touching the door handle and cried out as the most intense pain yet shot through her.

Harry was beside her in an instant, holding her tightly to his chest as she swayed.

With a loud crack, Kreacher appeared in the room, Lord Black curled on the floor in front of him. The elf sighed and fell beside his master.

Marlene was standing over them a second later, wand and staff in hand. Her magic levitated and turned him so she could see his front. There was blood on the floor where he'd lain for only a moment.

Daphne jerked to her feet, scrambling to her aunt's potion chest beside the dresser.

"Multiple stab wounds." Hermione said, a diagnostic array appearing over the floating man.

"Blood replenisher!" Marlene ordered as the light from her staff intensified, though instead of adding to the light in the room it went into Sirius.

The Lord Black shuddered and took a sharp breath before coughing up a gob of blood which splashed across Marlene's right breast and arm.

"Here." Daphne said, running to Sirius' head with a pair of silver bottles in her hands.

Sirius was breathing raggedly as Hermione and Daphne forced him to drink both bottles of the replenishing solution.

"We've got him." Marlene said, taking a half-step back.

"Aunt M?" came a voice from the doorway.

"Story?" Daphne answered for her frozen aunt.

"Um." The young blonde said, looking down while her ginger and blonde companions did the same. "Can you put your robe on?" Astoria managed to say.

"Oh." Marlene said, only then realizing she was standing there nude, half of her chest coated in blood.

Hermione was the first to react, with a silent cleaning spell followed by a summoning charm.

A minute later Sirius was lying on Marlene's bed, with Kreacher sleeping beside him. "Everyone get dressed." The Hit-Witch said once she got her robe sorted out.

"Is he alright?" Harry asked, lingering beside Sirius.

Daphne slipped between his arms and hugged tightly.

"I think he's exhausted." Hermione said, looking at another diagnostic charm that hovered over Harry's Godfather.

"What about Remus?" he asked, looking at Marlene.

The Hit-Witch shrugged, "We'll have to wait for Sirius to wake, it's too far for a Patronus."

}-{

"Your bonds are complete." Luna said when they'd settled down to dinner. With Kreacher sleeping away his magical exhaustion they had been in the kitchen for well over an hour preparing their meal.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Your magic is in balance, Lord Potter-Black." She said as though that explained it.

"I think she means that the three of us have bonded with you." Marlene said, pressing her hand gently to Harry's arm, a light blush showing on her neck.

He blinked, then did it again and looked back to Luna who gave a sharp nod. "How do you know this?"

Luna looked at him through her bangs, suddenly uncomfortable. "I can see magic auras, they're connected." When Ginny took her friend's hand, she finally admitted without her usual dreamy tone.

"Oh, though I am only Heir Black, the Lordship still lies with Sirius. That's the man we were healing earlier." He said, holding both of his hands up to show his rings.

"Oh, sorry." Luna said looking down.

"Luna?" Daphne called firmly, causing the girl to look up in fright. "As I am the Acting Lady Black, you are welcome in the House of Black. We will provide a safe place for you to live and grow. Your possessions will be replaced and tuition covered until your father is again able to do so."

Her tone was firm, but friendly enough to show the younger girl that she was not abandoned.

Ginny was still holding Luna's hand and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Just like we imagined years ago Luna. We're like sisters."

Luna looked between Daphne and Ginny, with a quick glance at Marlene who nodded in confirmation. "Thank you." She finally said.

"That makes me your sister too." Astoria added with a warm smile.

Just as they were mostly finished eating Astoria cleaned her hands carefully and pulled a sealed letter from an inner pocket of her dress.

"Lord Potter, my father sent this with me. I regret that I'd forgotten until we returned from rescuing Luna." She said and held the letter across the table to him.

She held it steady, while he cleaned his own hands again and Marlene cast a quick spell on the letter before nodding to Harry.

}-{

Lord Potter,

Congratulations on your acquittal, not that there was a case to begin with.

I wish to arrange a meeting to determine how our houses can work together in the future.

The addition of Lord Black would also be most welcome.

Lord Malcolm Greengrass

}-{

"So what does this mean for us?" Harry asked.

Daphne shrugged, "Nothing I wouldn't expect from the scheming bastard."

"But we need the allies, surely he wouldn't betray his ties to the House of Black?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think dad's trying to hurt you." Astoria said softly, not looking up from the remnants of her meal. "He's worried he'll be the last male Greengrass, since the line now falls to me."

While Ginny looked confused Luna pulled her new friend into a tight hug, which the ginger joined a moment later.

Hermione bit her lip and pointedly did not look in Harry's direction.

"Come with me Story," Daphne said, sliding from her chair and holding her hand out. She shared a pointed look with her aunt before taking her sister's hand and moving to a small couch on the far side of the parlor.

"I never thought it would fall to me." Astoria said softly, "You were always so confident and certain of continuing our family name."

Instead of answering her sister, Daphne pulled the younger woman until she was sitting in her lap. "And I was, especially after I fell in love with Hermione. There was never any doubt in my mind that she would marry Harry, which would allow me to become his mistress. But then Sirius and Dumbledore spoke with Father and Aunt M."

She took a moment to kiss her sister's cheek and then continued. "I did have a choice, and Hermione can still break the contract once she's Lady Potter. If I hadn't taken the contract for Lady Black, I could still have become Harry's mistress, as I will not, cannot, loose Hermione. But then the contract would have gone to someone else and we would have to share Harry with them."

"But…" Astoria started, looking into her sister's eyes. "You didn't want anyone else." She said after a moment's contemplation.

"No, I didn't, but then Hermione and I realized he was attracted to Aunt M. and she deserves happiness after all she's suffered." She shrugged and looked down, bumping her head into her sister's shoulder.

"What about Ginny and Luna?" Astoria asked.

"No," Daphne said, keeping her head down. "No more, Harry made Hermione swear it."

"Sis, I'm not asking you to resume this responsibility." Astoria said. "It's fallen to me, but I've never had to be responsible before, that was always you."

Daphne laughed and looked up, meeting her sister's gaze again.

"How did Lord Black show up while you were all…" Astoria said but trailed off with a bright blush.

The elder Greengrass gave her sister a smile, showing she knew of the blatant change in topic, but she took it anyway. "Well. Somehow, even though Harry and I are still betrothed, I am infused with Black family magic. This house, speaks to me and when Sirius was hurt my magic reacted. I sent Kreacher to aid him."

"That's… wow." Astoria said and then looked downcast again before resuming their original topic. "How am I ever going to do this?"

"Story." Daphne said softly, brushing her sister's loose hair behind her ear. "All you have to do is find a girl who doesn't have to continue her name and learn to share with her."

This caused the younger sister to break out in giggles while ducking her head into her delicate hands.

Daphne joined her for a moment before sliding her sister to sit beside her once again.

"How did you learn to share?"

"They made it easy for me, really. I couldn't have imagined this a few years ago, now I don't know how I would function without it."

"So if I find the right people it won't be as hard as I'm making it out to be?" Astoria asked after a minute of thought.

"Yes." Daphne said. "Don't rush it and for Merlin's sake don't jump in without thinking first."

"Alright sis. I… Thank you." She said and hugged her older sister as hard as she could.

}-{

Kreacher woke in the middle of the night to find himself lying in bed while his Lord slept a few feet away. The ancient elf popped himself to his own quarters in shame and wasn't seen until after breakfast the next morning when Daphne summoned him.

"Mistress?" the elf asked, head bowed so he could only look at her feet.

"Who was attacking Lord Black when you recovered him and was Remus Lupin present?"

"Mistress…" he started but trailed off, hopping from one foot to another. "He was being by his self behind a building. There were ruffian's about him. I was dizzy from going to his place and they stabbed him!"

The elf was bowed even deeper, his nose half-way to the floor, but he kept speaking into the silent parlor.

"I banished the bad men and brought Master here. Kreacher is a bad elf, he couldn't stay awake to help!"

"Thank you for bringing him back to us." Harry said, and though he knelt in front of the elf he restrained himself from reaching out to the distraught being.

"Kreacher be ashamed, but Heir Black is pleased so Kreacher will try to be better for his family."

}-{

He knew that smell, Merlin what a wonderful way to awaken after a pleasant night's sleep. With the smell of sex in his nostrils Sirius Black stretched in the comfortably warm bed. _Just where did she get off too?_ He wondered as his spread limbs failed to encounter another warm body.

Without opening his eyes he nuzzled the sheets, following the scent, until he came to a particularly strong spot and inhaled deeply. No, this wasn't a cunt he recognized. Just where the hell was he?

With that thought he finally opened his eyes and looked around. The room was mostly dark, but being a dog animagus had more benefits than his sense of smell.

"Bloody Hell, this is McKinnon's room!" he breathed out and then looked down at his crotch, to discover he was still fully dressed. "Damn." He said and slid to his feet in the direction of the door.

"Master be awaking." Kreacher said as he popped into the room. "Master be hungered?"

Sirius froze in surprise at how bloody cheery the elf was. He managed to reply before the thing spouted something else. "Yes, food in the kitchen. I'll head down there after checking in with Harry. He is here isn't he?"

Kreacher nodded vigorously. "He and the ladies be in the library."

 _The ladies_ , he thought bitterly. No longer in doubt as to whom McKinnon had been getting it on with in the bed. "Alright, I'll go there, then come down to eat." Sirius said and then gave the damned thing no more thought as he headed out the door and towards his ancestral library.

Harry met him on the stairs, with a gaggle of women behind him.

Sirius had just a moment to brace himself as the not-so-little Boy-Who-Lived crashed into him and hugged the stuffing out of him. "Woah." Rushed out of his mouth along with much of the air in his lungs.

"Stop Harry." Daphne called from just behind him while Hermione pulled back on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you too Pup." Sirius said once he had inhaled deeply. "Now how did I get back here?" he asked, looking at the crowd on the stairs. _What was the Lovegood girl doing here?_

"Kreacher brought you back." Marlene said. "You were stabbed, several times, in the chest and abdomen."

"What?" The Marauder said and clutched at his chest, but found no holes in his clothes, nor painful injuries upon his person.

"Do you remember what happened?" Harry asked.

"No." Sirius said, shaking his head. "I think the last I remember was sneaking out after Moony went to bed."

"Where were you?" Hermione asked as they all started walking down the stairs.

"Apparently the home my portkey went to has been remodeled by the French branch of the Blacks. We were met by the current Lord, Nicholas Furieux. He listened to us and then basically locked us up!"

"What?" Harry said while Marlene looked particularly ill, having pushed them to take the damned key to begin with.

In spite of wanting to torture the woman's sensibility some more he shook his head. "Well not like you're thinking. We were locked into a wing of the manor, no women, daily visits by mind healers. We had the run of the wing, which included a library. We've been seeing mental healers and preparing for my trial since."

"Oh." Sirius heard but couldn't identify who said it as he came face to face with his mother's portrait.

"My Lord Black," She said in a startlingly warm voice. "Your Heir's betrothed has turned out to be an incredible match. Why not only the wards, but the family magic has latched onto her!"

"Huh?" he said, looking between the suddenly blushing Daphne and his mother.

"When you were hurt." Hermione started to prevent further embarrassment to her girlfriend. "She woke up, feeling your pain."

"Really?" Sirius said, looking even more intently at the slim blonde teen.

"Yes." She managed to say and then nodded placing her hand to her side. "I felt it when you were beaten and then stabbed. I sent Kreacher to help you."

"Harry?" Sirius asked, looking at his Heir.

"Yeah?" he asked while Marlene and the other pureblooded witches looked on in wonder.

"Have you bonded with her?"

"Huh?"

"Yes." Daphne answered, blushing to her roots before she quickly calmed herself. "I'm well aware of my status Lord Black."

"What does that mean?" Harry and Hermione asked simultaneously.

"That should Lady Potter ever reject my contract as Lady Black, I will die." Daphne said clearly and without hesitation. "As I am already bound to the family magic."

"But I'd never." Hermione said firmly, pulling Daphne tightly to her.

"On that note." Walburga re-entered the conversation. "I hear you have food in the kitchen my son. Go and eat. Let the four of the bonded ones sort this out privately."

"Oh." Sirius said, looking finally at Marlene who gave him another stony glare, daring him to vocalize his thoughts. Instead he took his mother's advice. "Come ladies who are not bonded to my godson, I'm certain Kreacher has enough for all of us."

A minute later Harry was left with Marlene, Daphne and Hermione in front of Walburga's portrait. "There is nothing to be surprised about. Lady McKinnon?" the portrait said.

"Correct." Marlene said, and ushered the two tightly bound girls into the parlor where they collapsed onto the first couch in sight. Instead of trying to explain further, she directed Harry to the nearest couch were she sat, hugging him tightly.

"Does this apply to all of you?" Harry asked a few minutes later, when the blonde and brunette in front of him had gathered themselves.

"No." Marlene said. "Only the Black family magic is so vicious. It was actually punishing Daphne for not protecting her Lord. It couldn't have killed her, and she didn't even bruise, but she did feel the pain, similar to how the Cruciatus causes the nerves to react."

"Oh." Harry said, looking morose.

"Harry." Daphne said to get his attention. "I didn't mention this, simply because I'm confident it will not be an issue. Mine will never be parted from either of us and I'd follow her anywhere." She held up her hand where it was intertwined with Hermione's, "As I have."

He nodded, Marlene kissed his cheek when he stopped moving. "Alright, thank you. I'd just like to be aware of all these things, but I guess there just isn't enough time with all of our training and working to end Voldemort."

"Yes." Marlene said. "And on that note, we need to find out what happened with Remus."

"Dobby?" Harry called into the room.

With a loud pop the excitable little elf appeared. "Master Harry finally calls!"

Harry pointedly ignored the crazy elf's greeting. Perhaps if he didn't encourage it, it would stop? "Yes. I need you to track down Remus Lupin, somewhere in Southern France, and find out what happened with him. Sirius was with him, but was injured and is back here, we don't know what's going on with Remus."

"Yes, Dobby be doing this." The elf said and raised his hand to snap his fingers.

"Wait." Hermione said sharply, causing the elf to spin to face her.

"Can we give Dobby a portkey to give Remus?" She asked Marlene.

"Yes, just a moment." She said and pulled a short orange ribbon, with a small medallion fastened to it, from one of the inner pockets of her robe. "Tell him he needs to hold this and say 'gibbous moon'. It will take him to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron."

"And we must send a message to Lord Furieux." Daphne said and quickly penned the missive for the elf to deliver.

"Yes." Dobby said, taking the orange ribbon and then the letter, before looking at Harry, who nodded and he vanished with a loud pop.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Remus Lupin arrived back in England the next night. He apparated to the Ancestral Black home, where he walked in on a formal dance lesson. Orchestrated apparently by Walburga Black.

"Three, two, one. And again left foot forward and then to the side. Step…" She trailed off when she noticed Remus in the entrance of the parlor.

"Remus!" Sirius exclaimed and promptly released Luna to come and cuff his friend on the shoulder. "Well you look no worse for wear."

Smiling at the warm greeting he simply nodded to each person as they greeted him. Harry was the last, who grasped his forearm as ancient warriors once did. "So I'm glad to see all of you here and safe. We were quite worried about the maniac there." He said, gesturing to where Sirius stood to the side. "Lord Nicholas Furieux sends this reply." He said, handing the letter to Lord Black.

"Sorry, I couldn't stand being so isolated any longer."

"Oh, don't start, you needed to be around…" Remus found himself trailing off when he noticed the three young girls waiting to hear what he had to say, while Marlene, Hermione and Daphne scowled at him. Now that was a scary combination, even for a werewolf. "Never mind. Just glad we're all back to England and together."

"And that's an excellent reason for a toast!" Sirius said while his wand directed the drinks being served from the bar in the nook beside the kitchen. When the glasses were hovering in front of each person he spoke again. "Butterbeer for those under seventeen."

"Alright." Hermione finally agreed and took her glass which prompted the rest to do so.

"To friends, both old and new. Thank you." Sirius said, surprising everyone with the sentiment.

"To friends." Harry said loudly and was quickly echoed by everyone. They drank a quick toast.

"Back on track, Remus, why don't you work with Astoria?" Marlene said and walked to the front of the room.

When drinks were safely on tables and they were all back in position for the dance, Walburga resumed.

}-{

The next evening was a formal dinner with Lord and Lady Greengrass. Sirius had read through the letter from his fellow Lord in his study, with Harry and Marlene over his shoulder. The date for his trial had been set and he was expected back at the French Lord's manor after a week-long 'vacation' back in his native land. Remus had brought the original portkey they had used with him. Lord Furieux, had moved the wall that had caused them both such injury upon their arrival. Sirius accepted the date with only a mild grumble, recognizing the fact he had to get the trial over with before he could be of any assistance to his godson.

Lord Greengrass and his wife arrived promptly at five.

Sirius Black, dressed in his formal robes, greeted his fellow lord in the entrance hall. "Malcolm, Celeste, it is a pleasure." He said, shaking hands with Lord Greengrass, before gently kissing the knuckles of his Lady's hand.

"And you Sirius." Malcolm said with a tightly controlled nod.

"You have of course met my Heir and Godson, Lord Harry James Potter-Black." He said, gesturing to Harry who quickly repeated his actions of greeting his in-laws-to-be.

"With him is Consort Potter." Sirius said, and Malcolm kissed Hermione's knuckles lightly.

"And finally we have the Lady McKinnon, Spear of the Light." Sirius finished as now Malcolm kissed Marlene's knuckles and his Lady brushed fingers with her.

"Lene!" Celeste said and hugged her younger sister while eyeing the Spear of the Light. "You did it?" she asked in wonder as she pulled away.

"I have." Marlene said, holding the Spear up as though presenting it before turning somber. "Father has been released from his curse."

"Oh," Celeste said with a solemn bowing of her head.

"To complete the introductions." Sirius interrupted. "This is my longtime friend Remus Lupin. This is Luna Lovegood, whom I hear is now a Ward of House McKinnon. And this is Ginevra Weasley, or Potter, as she may prefer it. Ward of House Potter."

"Yes thank you. Greetings everyone, I hope all is well." Malcolm said, thus ending the formal greeting.

"Dinner will be ready shortly." Daphne said, in her role as the Lady of the House. "In the meantime we can gather in the Parlor."

"Certainly." Celeste said and stepped beside her elder daughter to walk into the adjoining room.

Once everyone was sitting around the room, Sirius stood by the portrait of his mother. "I'm not sure as to your agenda Malcolm, but for myself, I must first state that your elder daughter has exceeded all of my expectations and the family magic has welcomed her."

"Really?" Malcolm said.

"I am the Lady of this House." Daphne said from her place between Harry and Hermione.

"Of course." Malcolm said, though no one was quite sure what he meant by that.

"So your ties to House Black are confirmed and I will formally make the announcement in the first session after I am a free man."

Malcolm's eyes went wide and he sputtered briefly before managing to stand and bow to Sirius. "A hearty thank you Lord Black." He said before re-seating himself beside his still shocked wife.

"That session is likely Yule as I have to be cleared by an international trial in Belgium." Sirius said.

"Dinner be served." Kreacher said from the doorway to the dining hall.

Everyone filed in, the heady aroma pulling them into their chairs in short order.

"Eat, we will discuss business when our repast is concluded." Sirius said from his place at the head of the table.

Everyone's favorites seemed to be on the table in front of them, from Harry's own Yorkshire Pudding to Luna's custard.

As the last deserts were finished, Marlene addressed the younger girls. "You are free to retire to your chambers for the next hour. Please help Astoria pack her things, otherwise you are free."

"Yes, thank you." Luna said and quickly got to her feet, she virtually dragged the other girls from the room.

"It looks like they have all been getting along well." Celeste said, looking fondly over her shoulder in the direction the giggling girls had gone.

"Oh, certainly." Hermione said. "There was a bit of tension at first, but they found their common ground."

"Good, I was worried about Story." Celeste said.

"Shall we retire to the Parlor for afters?" Sirius asked. "Or we can remain here if that is agreeable."

"I see no reason to move." Malcolm said as the table was cleared and a small glass appeared in front of everyone.

"Brandy for those seventeen and older, tea for the rest." Sirius explained before taking up his own glass and sniffing the aroma before sipping lightly. "Ahh." Escaped his lips when he put the glass down.

"Thank you." Malcolm said after his own slight taste of the amber liquid. "As to the reason I wished to have this meeting." He said, glancing at Harry. "I am aware that a great conflict is imminent and wished to state that I would support both the House of Black and Potter. I now amend that to also include the House of McKinnon." He said, tipping his head in Marlene's direction.

"I believe we can all be of assistance to one another." Marlene said. "My family has been waging war for a very long time. I am fully capable of my family's magic." She said, pointing over her shoulder where the Spear stood glowing softly. "As you are aware Daphne has been my apprentice, we have endeavored to train both Harry and Hermione. They are quick to learn and individually quite powerful. Together the four of us are just beginning to learn how to work together. I recommend we form another group, with Remus, Sirius, Malcolm and Celeste. The four of you should practice fighting together. I have a practice chamber at my castle that can assist."

Everyone sat and sipped their drinks, while they absorbed that information.

Malcolm looked pointedly at his wife who slowly nodded and then finished her brandy. "We shall make ourselves available for this." She said to Marlene. "But the younger girls must not be left unschooled."

"Yes." Harry said, nodding firmly. "We are still in search of a fourth for their team, but yes, they will certainly learn how to defend themselves. I am a target, anyone associated with me will also be one."

"And on that note." Marlene said, getting everyone's attention. "I have accepted the Defense Against the Dark Arts post for the coming school year."

Those who hadn't heard this yet gasped while the remainder clapped politely.

"Albus has agreed that I will have free reign to hunt evil, even within his walls." Marlene said and finished her own brandy.

"Won't that drive some families to the enemy?" Malcolm asked.

Marlene shrugged.

"Regardless, my class will teach teamwork and combat tactics to help the children survive and escape any encounters."

"Yes." Malcolm said. "You know I heard a rumor several weeks ago. That Minister Fudge was going to appoint his Senior Undersecretary. The same woman you slapped Daphne. As the Defense Instructor. I doubt her classes would be anything more than reading an ineffectual text book."

After the laughter died down, Daphne cleared her throat. "Speaking of the pink frog-woman."

"Yes," Her father said. "I recommend we do not challenge her further. The—"

Daphne jerked to her feet, blazing in anger. "We will end that worm!" She bit off each word with absolute finality.

After his daughter's violent reaction Malcolm merely leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and looked at her.

No one said anything for a moment and then Hermione stood to pull Daphne into a gentle hug. The beautiful blonde resisted for a moment, waiting for someone to agree with her, finally when no one did, she twisted and collapsed into the brunette's welcoming arms.

Surprising no one, she didn't cry, merely closed her eyes and held tightly to Hermione as they slowly walked into the Parlor.

"Why don't you think it's a good idea?" Harry managed to ask the adults at the table. Seeing as not even Marlene had agreed with Daphne.

"For one, she is under arrest." Marlene said. "We'd have to wait for her trial and, assuming she is convicted, her release from Azkaban. At that point it would be a terrible move politically. No, the fact is that Dumbledore is far more powerful politically than any of us and he nailed her. She won't get out of it."

Malcolm nodded. "As I was going to say. The Wizengamot will convict her of her crime. The Minister will terminate her employment. She is finished, and not worth our time."

Harry nodded, now seeing their point. "If you'll excuse me." He said and slid his chair back to stand. "I've got to go."

When Sirius nodded sharply he fled the room.

Harry found his ladies sitting at the base of the grand stairs, heads bent closely together with their long hair obscuring most of their faces.

"Sorry." He said and knelt in front of them, lightly touching each of their legs.

They jumped when he touched them and quickly turned to look in his direction, showing that they had both been crying.

"Sorry." He repeated and moved to put an arm around each of their shoulders.

This time they leaned into him and hugged him back.

Marlene knelt behind him and put her arms around them all. "It's alright, Umbridge will get her punishment, Dumbledore had the proof." She whispered into her niece's long hair.

"Yes. I get it." Daphne finally said. "I just felt so insulted when she said those things about Harry and I." She turned to look pleadingly at her aunt. "Why am I so angry about these things?"

"It's your McKinnon blood. We do not suffer fools lightly." Marlene said gently. "As evidenced by my earlier diatribe against Lord Black and Mr. Lupin."

"Oh yes, I remember that well." Harry said and slowly stood. "Now can you ladies finish the evening or are you going to retire now?"

Hermione and Daphne shared a quick glance, and the brunette answered. "We'll retire to your suite for now. Call us when Astoria is leaving."

"Sure." Harry said and helped them to their feet. When they walked up the stairs he escorted Marlene back to the dining room, where the others were still in conversation.

}-{

The next morning they made their way to downtown London to collect their jewelry order from Hirschfelds on Hatton Gardens. The proprietor was quite proud of the collection of custom jewelry. Each of the women picked up a few additional pieces, mostly bracelets or earrings. Luna was shown the necklaces by Marlene and she chose three, each with a different pendant upon it. Marlene again had to pay the bill, as she was the only one with a credit card. Harry grumbled but she merely laughed and found him a thick 'manly' gold bracelet, adding it to the bill and handing it to her new Consort.

}-{

Lunch found them at McKinnon Castle. They were greeted by Katie Bell upon entering the dining hall. "I heard you lot came here, but I've been here for three days now and haven't seen you." Katie said after bounding over to them.

"Hi Kate." Hermione said, and gave the older Gryffindor a tight hug. She was actually fairly close to Katie Bell, they could have been in the same year, their birthdays were less than a month apart, with Katie making the cut to enter Hogwarts and Hermione just missing it. "We've had a few disruptive days, but we're back today. Do you know Daphne, Luna and Marlene?"

"I met Lady McKinnon briefly the other day with Gin." Katie said, turning fairly formal and when Marlene offered her hand she remembered to brush her fingers across hers.

"Please, you are a resident of my home. Call me Marlene." The Hit Witch said and nodded to Valarie over Katie's shoulder.

"Thank you Ma'am. I mean Miss. Ugh, Marlene, thank you." Katie said after fumbling with her words.

Hermione laughed before continuing the introductions. "This is Daphne Greengrass, Betrothed to Harry as he is now the heir to house Black. I'm his Consort for House Potter."

"Yes, I read about that in the Prophet." Katie said, looking critically at the famous Ice Queen who merely stood impassively beside Harry and offered her hand to Katie.

The offer was quickly accepted by Miss Bell. "Anyone who can help this lot stay out of trouble is a welcome addition. Congratulations Ladies." She said and then turned to Luna.

"Luna Lovegood." The blonde Ravenclaw said.

"You're Ginny's friend from Devon right?" Katie asked, looking at Ginny who nodded.

"Yeah, she's in Ravenclaw, my year." Ginny added with an arm over her friends shoulders.

"Yes," Katie said with a nod. "If you're hungry, lunch was served just before you arrived." She said, looking to them.

"Good, I'm starved." Harry said and maneuvered Daphne into the nearest bench before offering a hand to Hermione who left a space between herself and Daphne for him.

Shortly everyone was seated at the table, Katie and Valarie had moved their plates over as well.

"Val, I'd like to drag you along with me as my assistant at Hogwarts?" Marlene asked.

Mrs. Norwood's eyes went wide a moment as she laughed. "You want me teaching?"

"Yes." Marlene said firmly. "I know it means you won't be out hunting, but we've got a unique opportunity."

"Oh, I'm in." Her fellow Hit Witch said with a broad grin. "Do they know what they're in for?" she stage-whispered, glancing at the youth at the table.

"Yes, they have a fairly good idea. We've been practicing for several weeks now." Marlene said and turned her attention to her meal.

"What?" Katie softly asked when no one explained it to her.

"Come down to the practice chamber after lunch and see what my Aunt has in mind." Daphne said, lightly touching the back of Marlene's closer hand.

"I didn't know that you were related." Kate said, but when both women looked at her with the same expression she continued with a laugh, "Though now I see it quite plainly. Sure, I'd love to see what's going on."

Fortunately the practice hall was nearly as large as the dining hall of the castle, it measured about a hundred meters square and twenty tall. They would be able to spread out and practice in smaller groups.

"Kate, Ginny, Luna, come over here." Marlene said, directing them to a walled off section that consisted of long lanes with targets at the far end. "You can use basic stunners if you like, but I prefer the piercing hex. They will try to dodge. See if you can get them all within thirty seconds."

"Wow, that's fast." Ginny said, looking at the six targets a dozen meters away.

"Daphne?"

"Sure Aunt M." Daphne said and stepped into the live range, drawing her wand as she did. Instantly the six silhouettes began shifting left to right and slightly closer or further away.

Daphne's arm came up and six silent piercing hexes shot off as fast as she could manage. This was an exercise she had done since she could remember and was one of the main reasons she was always so precise with her spells.

From left to right, the targets were each struck in the neck by the piercing hex, they immediately collapsed forward onto the floor of the range and lay still. Within fifteen seconds the last had fallen.

"Wow." Katie said from just outside of the range.

"Well done." Marlene congratulated her niece with a smile. The targets got up, moved back to their starting position and were repaired by the magic of the range.

"I've been doing that since I was eight or so." Daphne said to the stunned girls. "It helped me a lot with my accuracy."

"I'll watch over them here ladies." A deep male voice spoke up.

"Mr. Norwood." Kate said quickly in greeting as the tall man gave Valarie a quick hug.

"Kate, girls. I'm Richard Norwood, Valarie's husband. I'll help them here so the rest of you can move on to why you're here."

"Thank you Richard. This is Ginny, and Luna." Valarie said, introducing the girls he hadn't met yet before stretching up to kiss her husband's cheek.

"Now the first thing is to forget what you just saw." Mr. Norwood said to Katie, Luna, and Ginny. Then Harry was too far away to make sense of the words and had to focus on the course before them.

They had done this a few times, but he was far from used to it. They started with stretches, jumping jacks, and running in place. And then the four of them took off into the course.

Harry thought this first part resembled a muggle dirt bike course, with steeply banked earth walls. The earth was soft, his boots sunk in several inches making running very hard, but he knew it only got worse. They came to a ruined castle wall and he leapt to the top, lying down across it to give first Daphne and then Hermione a hand up and over. He grabbed Marlene's hand and rolled off the wall into the castle, Marlene used the tug to launch herself over the wall and land beside him.

"Now that was too practiced." Valarie said from a perch over them. "I'm changing the settings on you."

"No." Harry groaned while he stood and the girls watched the perimeter, this was where the course turned violent, or it would on their second time through it. The first time through it was just exercise. Nothing more than a work out. But on the second round the targets would activate. At least that's what normally happened. Who knew what Mrs. Norwood would change?

The ruined castle gave way to the charms corridor of Hogwarts, the wide hallway had many doors and turned continually, preventing them from seeing if anyone was ahead of them until they were almost upon them. During later stages it made for a tense progression. Having to verify the rooms were empty of foes before proceeding forward.

Each subsequent trip through the course would add more opponents and obstacles. For now, they sprinted around the curved hall, Harry's boots clomped loudly compared to the sharp rap of Daphne's heels or Hermione's more sensible trainers. Marlene sounded like she was running in her bare feet, though she wore heels similar to her niece's.

The end of the Charms corridor funneled them into a tight spiral stairs, up into the Astronomy tower, but when they reached the top, they were back at the beginning of the course, slogging through the thick earthen track.

"Alright, on your toes." Valarie called down to them.

Several short stone walls had been added, alternating sides and providing cover for an opponent to hide. Harry took point, wand in hand. Not because he was best at this, but simply because he felt he should.

It was a stupid way to decide things, but he was male and they allowed him his foibles. He also served to flush out the targets, coming upon them suddenly so both he and they were too surprised to do much. That left them vulnerable to a quick spell from the trailing girls, which ultimately worked quite well.

Harry passed the first two walls at a dead run, then dove over the third, casting a bludgeoning hex back towards it. He was right in that a black silhouette was crouched behind the wall, but it was back in the corner, not at the open end, so his spell splashed against the rough stone and he landed in a heap on the soft earth.

Daphne leapt atop the wall, spotted the target starting to stand and put a piercing hex through its forehead.

Hermione and Marlene were already crouched by the tall wall that led them into the ruined castle.

"It was there." Harry said as Daphne leapt to his side and grinned at him.

"Got to get you that Basilisk armor so you can be our meat shield." Hermione said in a soft husky tone that went straight to his cock as he struggled to his feet.

"Later." Marlene said and grabbed the top of the wall with her left hand. She glanced back at Daphne who took a running leap at the wall while her aunt surged up and over.

Hermione jumped, but her fingers slipped off the top of the wall and she fell backwards with a squeal.

Harry tried to catch her and they ended up buried in the thick earth. It took him a minute to get his breath back and help her up.

"Are you two alright?" Marlene's voice came from the other side of the wall.

"Just a minute." Hermione said as she stood beside the wall and put her foot in Harry's cradled hands. A moment later he launched her upwards. This time she was able to land on the top of the wall and fall over it. He heard her grumbling as he jumped up, catching the wall with both hands to haul himself over it.

"More running for you two." Marlene said once Harry was safely on their side of the wall.

Hermione nodded and drew her wand as Harry got to his feet, trying to brush the earth off of his hands.

}-{

An hour later Harry was floating contentedly in a hot tub with Hermione. "Ugh." She articulated, mirroring his own sentiment. Each of their workouts had resulted in them barely conscious, dirty, and bruised. This was no different. Fortunately for them Marlene's quarters included this wonderful muggle invention for relaxing sore muscles. He had thought they would be doing better, this was their sixth or seventh time at this.

 _Course not._ Harry two said in his head. _It gets harder as you get better. Didn't you notice the wall was taller or the targets were firing back?_

Well, yes he had noticed them at the time, but had been too busy to assimilate those facts.

Then Daphne and Marlene slipped into the frothing water with them and his pain immediately lessened. The fact that Marlene pulled him into a warm embrace against her nude body had absolutely nothing to do with it.

 _Sure buddy._ He heard in his head and chose to ignore the jibe to instead kiss the surprisingly-sensitive neck in front of him.

Beside them Daphne was lazily French-kissing Hermione into oblivion and for once the brilliant girl didn't seem to care that she was losing the ability to think.

Harry Potter was about as close to contentment as he ever thought he'd be. _Just wait until all the sprog start arriving._ Two said, causing Harry to laugh and Marlene look at him in question.

"Sorry, tickled." He said, tapping a bundle of her hair that was brushing his shoulder.

"Oh?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

}-{

 _Malfoy would mean something again. That's why they were doing this._ Draco thought to himself. He once thought that the Dark Lord would see them respected above all others, now they were hiding in France. The worst part was that they were relying on his mother's Black family heritage for their safety.

His father was bound, like a house-elf, to that madman. Lucius had spent the last decade trying to forge his own faction. Now that his original master had returned he could only support him or die. So he had sent Draco and his mother away with very specific directions, revive the house of Malfoy.

When Draco turned sixteen he would be granted the title, his father didn't expect to live out another year. "Draco get in here." Narcissa called.

"Not again."

"Boy, I did not spend that money for you to lie about."

"No, you did it for yourself."

"I heard that. You want a mistress, that isn't happening until I know you know what to do with one."

"Yes Mum." Draco said and walked into the bedroom.

At least she no longer looked like herself. That first time still sent shivers down his spine. And what she said hadn't made it any better. She was still blonde, but now wore the body of a buxom sixteen year old witch.

His mum hadn't worn a stitch of clothes since the ritual that had granted him enhanced masculinity. He was considerably taller, which still caused him some pain in his joints, and had gained a stone in muscle.

She licked her pink lips, her tits shook in anticipation, eyes locked between his legs, where his newest feature swung heavily.

The thing was constantly hard, one of the side-effects of the ritual was thirty days of need. And he'd been forbidden from jerking off. So had spent the last three weeks learning just how to use it in, as his mum put it 'all the ways a woman provides.'

Before she had transformed, she'd tried to suck him off, but the sight of his mother's lips wrapped around him had cause him to deflate. She'd blamed his father's babying of him. When she was growing up in the Black household she had been expected to suck the cock of any male in the family. He should have been exposed to the same, but she'd allowed his father to have his way.

When she wasn't speaking he could imagine it was someone else, like the perfection that was Daphne Greengrass. Which is where this had all started. He'd heard of her betrothal to Potter and lamented he wanted a mistress too. It had all been nothing more than a status symbol to him, arm candy as his mother had said. But this was entirely different. Sex was a lot of work.

"Show me you remember your lessons." She said and lay down on the bed, pulling her legs wide open and beckoning him forward.

He couldn't wait to try this with another woman and compare them, but his mother's cunt tasted delicious. He dove in, being careful to tease and cause her to mewl in anticipation. He'd learned these lessons very well and her reaction was all the proof he needed.

Draco eased off, twice, before eventually allowing her to cum. She gushed her honey into his waiting mouth, and he eagerly swallowed it down.

"Now you'll do what I tell you to." He husked.

"Yes," she whispered, eyes half-closed.

"Turn over, spread yourself."

She was too slow to move, so he slapped her hip. She yelped but got into the position he wanted, ass in the air, with her face and tits buried in the sheets. Her long nails dug into the soft flesh of her ass as she groped and pulled hard.

Her cunt opened before him and he slipped his weapon into its sheath in a single thrust.

She grunted, but shoved back on him hard enough to stay in position.

Draco's hands seized her hips, the perfect handles for a good solid fuck, and began to jack-hammer himself into her hyper-sensitive hole.

Narcissa grunted and groaned, wanting this to never end and proud of his dramatic improvement over the last few weeks. Merlin he filled her!

He'd need two mistresses to keep up with him by the time he could have them. Well the contract with Parkinson was finalized. Maybe she could negotiate with Lord Furieux for the girl whose body she now wore? Something to think about once they were back in their own bodies after next week. The girl would have to carry the child to term regardless, and that would be right about Draco's sixteenth birthday.

}-{

The Black portkey back to France ended fairly gently. Both Sirius and Remus were able to remain on their feet, where last time they had smashed into a wall, leaving Sirius unconscious for several days.

"Ah, welcome back." Lord Furieux said. "Since you've both demonstrated a desire to complete this process, you are no longer restricted to the west wing."

"Thank you." Sirius said while thinking he would finally find some female flesh to enjoy.

"Though you are still not allowed access to the third floor, as that is my families private quarters." He continued as though reading Sirius' mind.

"We thank you Lord Furieux." Remus said and jabbed Sirius in the ribs.

The next morning Remus was wandering the large complex when he came across a tall blonde woman sitting in the garden. She seemed familiar, but he was certain he would remember meeting such a beautiful woman. Besides this was the French branch of the House of Black, everyone seemed to have Sirius' cheekbones!

"Good morning. Or should I say Bonjour?"

"Bonjour, is fine Monsieur." She said in a very soft voice. "Though I am French, I am fluent in English as well as German and Italian."

"Ah, I myself speak but English and German." Remus said and moved to sit on the bench beside her, though paused to gauge her reaction.

"Please join me." She said, patting the seat with a fine-boned hand.

"I am Remus Lupin." He said once he'd settled.

"Yes, the _friend_ of the English Lord Black." She said, though he didn't like the implications of the emphasis she put on the word friend.

"Mademoiselle, I detect a meaning that I wish to clarify in your speech." Remus said, causing her left eyebrow to lift in question. "I assure you that Sirius and I are merely friends, and that my interest lies solely with the fairer sex."

Her hand came to rest on his forearm, fingers curling tightly around his muscles. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that Monsieur Lupin."

With a sudden grin he relaxed, he'd caught her scent, so close to a bitch in heat. "And what would your name be mademoiselle?"

"Amanda Furieux, Lord Furieux is a distant cousin of mine, and I am thirty seven, if you are wondering." She said, not loosening her grip on his arm. She wasn't really sure how old this body was that she wore, but it had to be old enough for her son to be fifteen, so it was a decent guess.

"What brings you out here?" He asked.

"I grew tired of reading in my chamber." She said, indicating a French text beside her on the bench.

Remus couldn't read the title, but the series of Elder Futark runes on the cover gave it away. "You study runes?"

"Oui. It is my favorite. The elegance of a perfect runic array is both beautiful and functional." She said happily.

"Yes, and the carving is the most important part. One must have a steady hand and clear vision."

She nodded, causing her blonde hair to bob forward and back. "Oui, my instructors say I have a good eye."

They talked for the majority of an hour. Remus found himself drawn into the woman's enthusiasm for her subject. She certainly knew much more about runes than he did, but then again he'd focused on Defense and Creatures.

Amanda bit her lip and grinned up at him through a curtain of her hair. "I've heard that you are, like your name."

"What Loopy?" he joked, causing her to laugh lightly, but shake her head.

"No, my apologies. I do not mean to joke. You are a Were, are you not?" She said, leaning close and whispering the last sentence, not that anyone was around them to hear her though.

"Yes." He admitted, France had much better laws regarding people like him, and it was only a few more days before he would transform.

"Super bonne!" She said excitedly. "Are you…" she suddenly trailed off and instead of speaking planted her lips against his.

Her surprise attack left him stunned and he failed to respond until she was pulling away, pouting. He didn't let her pout long, following her and kissing her full lips fervently. She mewled and melted into his authoritative kiss.

"Yes, please." She whispered when they broke apart. She curled into him, forming her body to his along the bench, while looking meekly down at his bulging crotch.

"You want me to command you." Remus said, the animal in him lead him to this conclusion so he said it as a statement. "Then you will obey me."

"Certainement." She said a bit louder and nodded her face against his broad chest.

Remus caught her chin and guided her to look up. "Then you will right now remove your panties and hand them to me." He ordered, looking hard into her eyes.

Amanda blushed but nodded before standing and placing one of her sandal-clad feet on the bench. She then reached up under her long skirt and moments later presented him with a pair of wet, frilly, pink panties. "Master." She said, presenting the small pink wad as though it were a gift.

Remus Lupin was the silent Marauder, often called the brains of the outfit. But he was also a Werewolf and like an Animagus, subject to some traits of his beast. This close to his transformation it was even more pronounced. Presented with the intense scent of her dripping sex, any misgivings vanished. He growled, deep in the back of his throat. Her eyes went wide, but she did not flinch away.

A quick flick of his wand and they were under a Notice-Me-Not spell. He grinned, took the panties and stuffed them in her mouth before pulling her into the nearest shrubbery.

She made a startled squeak but the panties muffled that quite well. Then she was on her knees in the grass, her dress tossed up over her back, exposing her garter-framed white ass and bald cunt.

He pushed her head down into the soft grass and the head of his cock rubbed against her weeping hole. Moments later he was entering her.

One of the benefits of being a Were was his incredible stamina. He could go for hours, repeatedly. They didn't have time for that now, so he focused on pounding his hard cock into her dripping cunt.

Amanda was mewling again, but he let her as she wasn't protesting in any way. She tried to get her hair and dress out of her face, but he just slapped her ass and told her, "No." That was the end of her independent actions. She thrust back in time with his thrusts forward, skewering herself to the hilt on every cycle.

Then her tunnel was fluttering around him and suddenly she was drenching him with a flood of her juice as she came.

He slapped her ass again, "Good pet." He said and emptied himself deep inside her.

Remus wasn't deflating, he could easily do two or three more rounds, but didn't feel comfortable doing that here in the garden. He pulled back, slowly exiting her tunnel. She clenched down on him, sealing herself as he retreated.

Then she was spinning, using her mouth to clean his cock. She laved the head and engulfed its length, trying to take it down her throat, but she gagged and had to relent. She continued to lick and suck and had him completely clean in a minute.

Only then did she retreat, going back to her knees, looking up at him through her messy hair.

"Someone has trained you well pet. But I'm claiming you now." Remus said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Master, thank you." She said without hesitation or resentment in her tone.

"Now, let's clean up." He said while drawing his wand.

She put her hand over his, "Please do not clean me out or cast the prevention spell. It is my desire to bear you children."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master, please."

He didn't answer directly but his wand fixed her hair and removed the dirt from her dress, face, and hands as she stood.

"My quarters are on the third floor. You may access them by a secret passage behind the third bookshelf in your wing. The password is 'Toujours Pur' of course. I will be waiting there to show you the way to my rooms in thirty minutes."

"I shall see you soon pet." Remus said and closed his trousers before casting the cleaning spell on himself.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Amanda returned to her suite and quickly went to the hidden collection of potions her mother had given her several weeks ago. She downed the purple bottle in several quick swallows and then lay upon her bed as it caused intense cramping in her abdomen.

"Merlin!" She hissed as it faded enough to actually breathe.

Now fairly confident this damned body would bear a pair of werewolf puppies she relaxed and smiled for the first time in weeks.

Amanda wasn't sure what condition her own body would be in when she and Narcissa swapped back, but her mother had told her that Uncle Furieux had stated that any such child would be carried to term and bear the name of Malfoy.

She intended to make the woman suffer for the mess she'd made of her life. Though Amanda was bound by her Lord's oath to do no harm to the body, that didn't seem to apply when someone else was inflicting the harm. Regardless she was going to do her best to become the wolf's pet and, if possible, his abject slave.

She didn't have much time left so she placed the empty vial back where it had come from and made sure the compartment was properly closed. She bolted her doors and then entered the secret passage. She was late, well that would give him reason to punish her and perhaps make him want to bind her even tighter to him.

}-{

Sirius Black was sitting with his Barrister and several assistants. Moony got to wander around and look for birds, while he was stuck with these stuffy old men who never smiled.

"So you never had a trial?"

"No."

"But one of their laws state that any Pureblood must be found guilty of a crime before the full Wizengamot before you set foot on Azkaban Island."

"Oh, really? Guess they ignored that one too." Sirius said, not ever having learned law.

"Once the verdict is reached by the International Court, you still face the fact that England will likely not recognize it."

"But it will be in the papers." Sirius said.

"Yes, and though I doubt the Prophet will print it, enough English wizards and witches receive papers from abroad, they will know."

"Then I'll lie low for a few weeks, contacting some of my allies and let it be known that I plan to attend the next full session and claim my seat." Sirius said.

"That is fairly risky."

Sirius shrugged. "The way Dumbledore has the Minister cowed, I doubt they will try to arrest me."

"Quite possibly." The old man said, not admitting to that as a real possibility by his tone.

"I've got to move openly."

"Yes." The man nodded. "And you should be able to do so at the Yule session. Though the Minister could recover some ground by then."

Sirius let out a loud sigh. Did this man never give a straight answer? "Is there anything else I need to know before the trial?"

"Yes, much. But my assistant was late in arriving this morning, so you will have to await her arrival for that." He said and folded his notes into his case and stood.

"So, I'm free for now?" He asked as the two silent men who accompanied the Barrister also stood after collecting their notes.

"No." He said. "She's here." And pointed over Sirius' shoulder at the main doorway to the room.

"Sorry, I'm late." The husky voice of an angel surprised him and he spun. The vision that confronted him knocked all sense of reality completely from his head. She was of moderate height, slim of build, but clearly curvy in the right places. Her blonde hair was braided across her head from left to right and then went down her back.

"I shall leave our client to you. Rangnil Andreassen, meet Lord Sirius Black." The man said and strode from the room.

One of his assistants closed the large double doors without a backward glance.

"My Lord Black." Rangnil said and curtsied.

Sirius found himself on his feet and bowing over her hand before pressing the lightest kiss to her knuckles. "The pleasure is mine. What can I do for you?"

Her burgundy dress swished lightly as she stepped past him and placed a satchel on the table before lightly seating herself in the chair beside the one Sirius had just vacated. "I am present to make certain that you are aware of what will happen at the trial. There are several very specific rituals that you will need to perform. Any mistakes will cause the judges to look poorly at the facts. They take this very seriously, and you must as well."

He was still standing, looking down at her with a dazed grin on his face. But he suddenly realized he might look a bit foolish, and Sirius Black was debonair, stylish and confident. None of which he might currently be presenting.

"Sorry." He said and stood straighter before walking to the side of the room and pouring himself some tea. "Would you like some?" When she nodded he poured a second cup and returned with them both to the table. Only then remembering she might want crème or sugar so made a second trip to deposit them between their cups.

He sat and sipped his hot tea, trying to get himself under control.

She wasn't looking at him, and had turned her attention to the tea, which she prepared by adding two lumps of sugar and then slowly stirring it with the spoon from the sugar dish as he'd forgotten to bring a spare.

"I am innocent." He said after a few minutes of silent tea sipping.

"Of the crimes yes, but not stupidity." She said without looking in his direction.

"What?" He asked, leaning forward quickly only to freeze when he saw the ice in her blue eyes.

"You abandoned your godson. He should have been your primary concern, not vengeance." She said coldly and quite calmly.

The fact that she was clearly angry with him sent ice into his veins and he found himself sipping his tea once again. Why did everyone harp on him about this?

}-{

 _Lord Potter,_

 _The Weasley family formally acknowledges our debt to you and yours for the saving of our dear sister's life. We accept and affirm your right to take her as your ward and hold no animosity or concern as to her wellbeing._

 _I would like to meet with you and yours briefly to express this personally as well._

 _Thank you,_

 _Charlie Weasley_

 _Acting Head of the Ancient House of Weasley_

Harry put the letter down and looked up at the nervous young girl in front of him. "Would you like to meet with Charlie?" He asked her.

"Yes, please." She said with a quick nod, her hands clenched under her chin.

"Alright. We'll arrange a meeting at the Ice Cream parlor in Diagon for tomorrow if he can make that."

"Thank you." Ginny said and turned to Hermione beside him. "Can I hug him?"

Hermione laughed and nodded.

Harry was immediately subjected to a tight hug from his young ward. He found himself returning it far gentler, he had been working out and wasn't about to contemplate hurting her.

Once he was released Hermione spoke. "We have a little time tomorrow, but Marlene will likely be up at Hogwarts all day, so we're on our own."

"Can you believe we'll be back at school in three days?" Harry asked.

"I've tried not to think about that honestly." Hermione said and he gaped at her, which caused her to giggle. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You know I've already read most of my books for this year."

"Yes," he said with a grin. "Let me reply to Charlie and we'll see if we can arrange a meeting."

Hermione took Ginny's hand and led the younger girl from the room. Hedwig flew in when they opened the door and landed on the perch near Harry a second later.

"Hello girl. Give me a few minutes." He said and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment to the center of the table.

}-{

Harry Potter managed to awaken first the next morning. It was a rare occurrence, but one he'd been trying to manage for most of a week now. Usually one of his ladies was up first, and they usually made a show of waking him. This time he was going to pay one of them back. And that was his initial dilemma.

Well actually his first issue was his full bladder, which he was exceedingly grateful to Mine for making him learn how to banish his waste with a wandless spell. It was something that Poppy had used numerous times on him while he was stuck recovering from his various injuries over the years.

But it took Hermione's initiative to get him motivated to not only learn the spell, but manage it wandlessly. Bladder empty, he turned his attention to the women who had chosen to share his bed. On his left was Marlene, being a full-grown woman, she took up a bit more space than Daphne or Hermione, who were spooned together on his right. Daphne, being the closer, had her hand on his bare stomach and cheek on his chest.

The feeling of warmth and trust he received from the simple fact that she wanted to be so close to him, had improved the strength of his Patronus. Hermione was pressed tightly against the blonde's back, their breathing seemed to almost be in sync.

Marlene had turned to lie flat on her back at some point, making her far more accessible for his intended purpose. Decision made he spent a good two minutes getting out from under Daphne, without waking her.

When he was free, he gently shifted the tall Hit Witches legs wider apart. He really did enjoy giving them pleasure this way, though this would be the first time for Lene and he hoped she would enjoy it as much as her niece.

With her legs spread, her core folded open like an exotic flower. A flower which produced the most excellent of nectar. He moved to lie on his stomach between her legs, but his hard cock jammed uncomfortably into the mattress so he kept his ass in the air as he ran his tongue from her anus to her clit. He was slow and gentle, but not light enough to tickle or irritate her.

She must have used a spell to remove her hair, there wasn't even a hint of stubble, which made this far more enjoyable for him. He loved just looking at the lips and watching as they became engorged as their excitement built.

Another full-length lick and he used his thumbs to pull her inner lips open, allowing his tongue to delve deeply and lick upwards once again. Now he focused on her clit for a minute, rolling it around in its sheath with the tip of his tongue until she shifted, pushing her legs closed on him.

No, he couldn't have that, so he moved his hands to the back of her knees, and pushed them up, into the air, and splitting her wide open. At the same time he sucked her sensitive bud into his mouth.

"Unnghh." She groaned as she woke. One hand coming to rest in his messy black hair.

He repeated the full-length lick, swallowing more of her flowing nectar before returning to her bud and lightly whispering in parsel, she did a full-body shiver, but hardly made a sound until he went back to sucking on her.

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful." She said softly. Her hands met his at her knees and she pulled them back farther, letting him have the use of his fingers once again.

He immediately worked three of his fingers into her core her nectar quickly had him slipping in easily.

Tongue back to the bud, he flicked and suckled on it for nearly ten minutes while his fingers found and then stroked her g-spot.

The others woke when Marlene let out a louder moan than previously.

"Oh," Daphne said after stretching. The sight of her breasts shifting enticingly on her chest as she did so, made his cock even harder.

Moments later, and a breath-freshening charm later, Hermione was kissing Marlene while Daphne lay down between his legs and took his cock into her hot mouth.

"ummm." He hummed as one of her hands wrapped around the base of his cock while the other lightly scratched his balls.

His hum, made Marlene push her pelvis up harder into his mouth and he hissed in parsel, making her cum with a muffled squeal.

Daphne's hot mouth was making it very hard for him to focus on the work before him, so he just kept hissing in parseltongue.

Then Daphne managed to hiss, her tongue along the underside of his cock.

He erupted into her throat at the same time Marlene contracted so hard she squirted the contents of her honeypot into his mouth.

"Thank you Harry." Marlene said when Hermione let her speak.

He looked up at her, over the delicious expanse of her tone body and grinned. His fingers were still feeling her contractions inside her and half of his face was coated in her, but he was grinning.

Then Hermione was beside him, cleaning his face with her tongue and then sucking his fingers clean. The whole time Daphne continued to hold his cock in her mouth and slowly suckle.

}-{

Marlene met Valarie at the gates of Hogwarts at eight in the morning. The two Hit Witches walked through the gates as they opened. "Did that ward feel weaker to you?" Marlene asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes." Came the immediate reply. "I'll look into it."

The massive front doors were open when they reached them thirty minutes later. They proceeded inside and into the Great Hall. The Head Table was well occupied already and the two women moved into a pair of seats that were side-by-side as they greeted everyone.

"Welcome." The Headmaster said and gestured to the laden platters of breakfast upon the table.

"Yes, thank you." Marlene said and quickly filled her plate. She tapped her goblet and it filled with steaming tea.

Valarie cast a detection spell on their plates before beginning to eat. She didn't speak to anyone, but nodded when greeted.

Several others joined in while they were eating, when they were done there was only one empty chair.

"Thank you everyone for coming. It seems we're missing our new History professor, but we must move on to the topics at hand." Dumbledore said.

"We have a new History professor? What happened to Binns?" the diminutive charms professor asked.

"My apologies Filius. I convinced him to move on earlier this summer and have contracted a dear old friend to assist for the next few years. She's been living in France for a while but promised to make it here today."

"Who?" Marlene found herself asking.

"Me." A gentle voice spoke up from the doors to the great hall. When they turned they found a tall thin woman dressed in black jeans and a purple blouse. Her hair was long and jet black, falling in tight curls down her back. She strode to the table, her high heels clicking loudly.

"Ah, welcome dear lady." Albus said, standing to greet the new woman.

She moved to stand beside the chair. "Greetings everyone." She said with a slight French accent. "I am Perenelle Flamel."

After most of the staff gasped and stared at her she swung the chair out and gracefully sat upon it.

"I apologize for being late, but Nicholas was not done packing so I left him to it." She said, picking up a scone and holding it to her lips. "By the way, yes. I'm that Flamel." She said fairly firmly, looking rather regal before consuming half of the scone and pouring herself a goblet of water.

"Yes, everyone." Dumbledore said. "I know I announced their passing several years ago, but I readily admit that I said that at their insistence."

"Why would you do that?" Professor Babbling asked.

Perenelle sipped her water and gestured with her half-scone, "When one has been alive as long as we, it is often pertinent to blend into the remainder of the population for some time. But with the resurgence of all the continuing problems, Nicholas and I determined our efforts would be best spent here."

"Mr. Flamel is coming as well?" Severus Snape asked in a hushed tone.

The woman nodded and ate the remainder of her scone.

"Yes, Nicholas will also be present, though he has no formal position within the school. He mentioned he would be willing to teach an Alchemy class to a dozen students of each year." The Headmaster clarified.

"Though he refused to give grades." Perenelle said with a light laugh.

"Yes, well." Dumbledore said. "So let me get down to the formal beginning of this meeting. You've all been introduced to Perenelle Flamel, if you are favored she might give you permission to use the informal Penny, though alas, I am not so favored."

He paused for a brief laugh.

"She will be teaching an entirely new, or should I say older, History class. She is beginning with the ancient Druidic culture and progressing through our Roman and then Norman invasions to reach the founding of the Wizengamot and the remainder of our history to present day."

"That's a substantial change." Marlene said.

"Well, I've lived through it. You won't find a more objective perspective on the world. Perhaps my Godson will even make an appearance." Perenelle said with a smirk.

Instead of asking Dumbledore merely bowed, "If he wishes to grace us with his presence he is of course most welcome."

Marlene's brow furrowed in thought. Who could be this woman's godson? She didn't recall ever reading or hearing about that. Well their entire lives were very secretive. Though the books covered something like nearly 700 years, Perenelle mentioned having first-hand experience with Druid culture, which was long before that.

Perenelle laughed, "As though any of us could restrict him." She said and then went back to her subject. "For the younger years, I will only brush upon the topics, giving them a summary of the events of each era. For the older students we will get far more in depth regarding Wizarding Culture and the Laws of Merlin."

"Long overdue, thank you." Valarie said, speaking up for the first time.

"Yes, I concur." Dumbledore said. "And that brings me to Lady McKinnon, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Instructor, and her assistant. Mrs. Norwood is a Special Investigator of the D.M.L.E. and reports directly to Madam Bones. My understanding is that Mrs. Norwood will teach first through third, and Lady McKinnon Fourth and up."

"Yes, though Valarie will assist in some of the upper-year courses with those lagging behind." Marlene said. "On a different topic, I am the Spear of the Light. I will not abide any who seek to harm others. My patience is short, do not tempt me."

Marlene took another sip of her drink and looked around the table. After she was satisfied that they had taken her seriously, she continued. "My classes will focus on defense of course, but more-so I will push them to form teams and to work together."

}-{

They flooed into the Leaky Cauldron at nine. Just after they had all made it through a soft voice called out, "Daph?"

The blonde Slytherin reacted immediately. She released Harry's arm and engulfed the sandy-blonde girl into a tight hug.

Harry didn't recognize her for a moment, then the name surfaced: Tracey Davis. Ahh, he thought and guided the others off to the side.

Hermione put an arm around each of the hugging girls and shifted them by an empty table before joining in their hug. Soon the three of them were whispering intently, foreheads touching.

"So how have you been doing Luna?" Harry asked to pass the time and unwilling to interrupt whatever this was about.

"I miss my father." She said immediately.

Ginny held her friend's hand tightly.

"Yeah, I imagine you do." Harry said softly. "I'm sorry. We'll make sure you're safe and have what you need."

"Yes." Luna said and nodded. "That's helping a lot. Thank you."

Then the trio was breaking up. Daphne cast a few quick spells on her face to fix her makeup, but she'd been crying and he wondered if there was anything he could do to help.

Tracey Davis vanished into the floo a moment later and his ladies re-joined him.

"Sorry." Daphne said and latched onto his right arm with both of hers for a moment. Then she relaxed enough to free one of her arms to take Luna's hand. "Trace isn't taking me not being in the Slytherin Dorms well.

"No Harry, there's nothing we can really do." Hermione said to answer his thoughts. "Though we both extended an invitation for her to visit any time, or seek refuge if she felt threatened.

"Alright then, let me know if… Well tell me if that changes." He said and then stepped towards the exit to Diagon.

Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor was full when they arrived, but that didn't stop Ginny from spotting her older brother. "Charlie!" She yelled and dodged between two teens with towering servings of ice cream to try and hug his substantial waist.

Harry, Hermione, Daphne and Luna followed a few paces behind. Daphne kept a tight hold on Harry's arm and Luna's hand while Hermione walked ahead after her ward.

Harry had met the man during the disaster of the Quad-Wizard Tournament, which of course everyone but he and Hermione still had called Tri for some reason. Charlie Weasley was a mountain of a man. Nowhere near the size of Hagrid, but about as big as a man can be without having giant blood in their family.

"Lord Potter." Charlie said quickly as they drew near.

They were causing a scene in the busy establishment, but so long as they weren't threatened it should be fine.

"Mr. Weasley." Harry said and extended his hand. Daphne had coached them before the meeting. Since Charlie was only the Acting Head of House, and that House was not Noble, he was to be addressed as Mr.

The large hand briefly engulfed his, fortunately the shake was light and Harry's hand was returned without damage or pain.

"Pleasure to see you again." Harry said. "You've met my Consort, Hermione before." He said gesturing to Hermione who was now standing with an arm draped over Ginny's shoulders.

Charlie managed to kiss the back of Hermione's knuckles. "Yes, it's good to see you again. And I recognize Miss Lovegood."

"Yes, she's recently become a ward of House McKinnon or Black, I'm honestly a bit lost there." Harry said.

"We're both claiming her for now." Daphne said, though kept her hands away from the big ginger.

"This is Daphne Greengrass, my betrothed for House Black, as I've recently been named the Heir of the current Lord." Harry said, while Daphne continued to hold his elbow.

Instead of reaching for her hand, Charlie bowed, fairly deeply. "A pleasure to meet you Mistress Black." He said in his deep, rumbly, voice.

Charlie turned back to Harry. "Mr. Fortescue has been keeping a table open for us." He said, gesturing to one a few paces away.

"Yes." Harry said and moved to help the ladies into the tall chairs as a waiter arrived for their orders.

Once they were all sitting with impossible constructs of moving, edible, culinary excess, Harry cast a silence spell around them, cutting off the loud babble.

"Mr. Weasley, I must express my condolences for that which has befallen your family. I have great respect for your Father and older brother."

Charlie bowed his head, letting his long spoon dip, and almost loose it's cargo. "Yes, thanks. Dad's been doing better, but the mind healers are still not optimistic about Bill."

"Damn." Hermione said, giving Ginny's hand a squeeze. "We'll have to go see him again."

Ginny looked up at her, her eyes glistening. "Could we?"

"Of course." Hermione said with a nod, "I told you to tell me when you wanted to go back and I meant it." She gave the girl's hand another squeeze before releasing it and pointing at the bowl before her.

"Thanks." Ginny said and scooped a moving snowman onto her spoon where he continued to twirl on his largest ball until she consumed him.

"I've been to see him most days, they're no longer worried he's going to die. The physical damage is repaired, now it's all his mind." Charlie said with a slow shake of his head.

"Well I've seen magic do incredible things, let us hope it restores William." Daphne said, though still fairly stiffly. To Harry and Hermione it was obvious she was not comfortable around Charlie and they each edged closer to her to provide reassurance.

"Yes, thank you." Charlie said and then they all went to work on their deserts.

A few minutes later they were interrupted by Susan Bones who stepped over to their table. "Hello, it's good to see you all. How's your summer been?"

"Hello Susan," Hermione said with a smile and a wave from the far side of the table. "Mine's been good."

"Well I for one am glad you were acquitted at your trial. My Aunt was not going to let Fudge run that event, no matter what he thought." Susan said.

"Thank you Susan." Harry said. "It's good to know there's someone honest and fair in the DMLE."

"Yes," Susan said with a nod, "Well I'll let you get back to your treats. See you all in a few days."

"Pleasure seeing you again Miss Bones." Daphne said formally and bowed her head when Susan did the same.

They arrived at St. Mungo's about thirty minutes later. Bill had been moved to a regular room in the Janus Thickey Ward so they didn't need any special badges to get to see him.

Ginny looked at her father, she'd readjusted her thinking fairly easily after that first visit, and the tears started leaking from her eyes.

Hermione was already holding her, but tugged tighter as they stepped beside the bed.

Bill's hair was growing again, though it was only stubble at this point. He was breathing regularly as though sleeping.

Ginny put her hand on his shoulder and kissed his forehead, several tears dripped on his face and she hastened to wipe them off with her sleeve.

"Gin, it's alright." Hermione said softly. "He won't mind your tears."

If Ginny had looked at Harry just then she would have been shocked to see his own cheeks running wet. Most of those in the room were similarly affected. Only Charlie seemed to be resigned with the current situation.

Ginny just nodded and kissed his forehead once again and then placed her lips near his ear. She still remembered that Charlie and Luna did not know her secret, so whispered her words.

"Father, I love you. I don't care how you got tricked, I still love you and hope you get better."

There was a rustling under the sheets as Bill's legs shifted, but otherwise he remained exactly how he was.

"I'm going back to school in a few days, but will visit you when I can." She said louder, letting everyone in the room hear her words. "I love you Bill." She squeezed his hand tighter, but other than a tingle from her magic, there was no reaction.

"Did you want to sit with him for a while?" Harry managed to ask.

"Yes, please." Ginny said, still not looking away from Bill's face.

"I'll stay." Hermione said softly.

"We'll come back in an hour." Daphne said with a hitch in her voice.

Hermione and Ginny were left alone in the room moments later. "Do you want me right here?" she asked her Ward.

"Yes." Ginny said and pressed herself back into Hermione's arms. "I just don't know what to do. I want to tell him so much, but he can't hear me."

"Go right ahead and tell him whatever you wish." Hermione said with a gentle squeeze. "And who says he can't hear you?"

"Huh?" Ginny asked twisting to look up at Hermione.

"When I was petrified, and no don't blame yourself for that, I was aware of things around me. I could hear Harry talking to me."

"Really?"

"Yes." Hermione said with a nod. "I'd likely have gone crazy without him holding my hand and talking to me all the time. It was when I realized I loved him."

"Oh." Ginny said, clearly torn between her guilt over allowing the diary to affect her and hope that Bill could hear her voice.

"So I'll go sit, right over there, I'm not leaving the room. And you can talk to him. I've got some thinking of my own to do."

"Ok, thanks." Ginny managed to say and let go of the older girl's hand.

Hermione sat in the chair and closed her eyes, she'd received an important alert from one of her alternates and had to concentrate on it for a bit.

"So what have we got?" she asked herself a few minutes later as the meeting finally convened, deep in her mental fortress.

"Horcruxes." Was the immediate answer, which was then clarified. "Voldemort created items, like the diary, to prevent his soul from passing over. These items contain a fragment of his soul, that's what happened to Gin. The soul fragment tried to use her soul to reform itself."

"So that's what was in Harry's scar?"

"Yes, that makes the most sense."

"Well Hell." Hermione said and promptly sat down to puzzle over this new information.

}-{

"Lord Black." Came a woman's voice from the meeting room door.

He'd just finished his exhaustive meeting with Rangnil, who was currently packing her satchel. She'd lightened up a bit from her initial biting commentary. But was clearly keeping a professional distance from him.

"Madame?" Sirius said and stood to greet the elegantly dressed lady. Then he spotted the woman standing at her shoulder and his face hardened. "What do you want Narcissa?"

"Please, Lord Black." The unknown woman said, pulling his attention back to her. "Allow us to explain before you react."

"I should be going." Rangnil said.

"No please Madame, I would like you present for this." The woman said.

Rangnil, merely settled back into her seat and waited expectantly.

The unknown woman and Narcissa entered and closed the doors behind them. The woman pulled a long cord from a hook beside the door and threaded it through the latch before securing it to the hook on the other side.

"Thank you Lord Black. I am Javona Furieux, my brother is Lord Furieux. I am here on a grave matter between our families and entreat you to punish those responsible."

"My Lady, please explain." Sirius said. "I am unaware of anything, unless Narcissa is to blame?"

"No!" Javona said quickly. "Well yes. Sorry, let me explain. How steeped are you in the Family Magic?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I was estranged from my father when I was sixteen. I was ever so surprised when I learned he had kept me as his heir."

"Oh," Javona said, having clearly been expecting a far different answer. "Well there is a family spell, often referred to as The Transference. It swaps one mind for another, for exactly thirty days."

"What?" Rangnil said with a gasp.

"Yes," Javona said, looking at the barrister. "My brother performed this spell between my daughter and your cousin Narcissa." She said gesturing to where Narcissa still stood.

"It's true." Narcissa said, but clearly wasn't speaking with her usual bite. "I am Amanda Furieux, and I need your help to punish this woman."

"Oh." Sirius said and plopped into his chair and closed his eyes tightly. "I thought these things only happened to Harry…" He said before opening his eyes and looking at the women. "What do you want me to do?"

Javona gave him a feral grin before launching into her explanation. "I want you to end the marriage of Narcissa to Lucius, making her a Black again. Then I want you to complete the enslavement ritual between her body and your friend Mr. Lupin."

"…" Sirius wasn't sure how to react to that so nothing escaped his open mouth.

"Amanda has already been intimate with him." Javona said. "And she is likely pregnant with his offspring."

"What? Why?" Sirius managed to force himself to ask.

"Because one of the conditions Narcissa demanded of my Lord was that if her son got my body pregnant, then the child would be a Malfoy and would be well cared for." Amanda said from Narcissa's lips.

"Wait." Rangnil interrupted. "You mean to tell me that this woman, Narcissa, switched bodies with your daughter to have sex with her own son?"

"Yes." Javona said.

"Merlin." Sirius said and was wracked by a full-body shiver the likes of which he'd never felt before.

"How old are you Amanda?" Rangnil asked.

"Sixteen Ma'am."

"Well Lord Black, will you grow a backbone?" Rangnil asked in a steely voice.

"Why are women always demanding things of me?" Sirius asked. "Wait, don't answer that." He quickly said when Rangnil and Javona opened their mouths.

"Will you do it?" Amanda asked.

"I've got to speak with Remus before any enslavement. But I've no hesitation to end her marriage." He turned to the barrister. "Can you write up the parchment work?"

Rangnil nodded, "Yes, and it won't take long, as the legal forms for both France and England are still done in Latin."

"Oh, and while you're at it do another set for Bellatrix LeStrange nee Black." Sirius said with an eager smile. Perhaps being Lord Black wasn't all that terrible after all. And if he could make Moony happy all the better.

Just what would his best friend think of all this? He doubted Moony knew the extent of the Amanda-Narcissa swap.

Sirius just couldn't keep the grin off of his face and found the expression mirrored by the three women in the room as well.

"And Lord Black," Amanda said while Rangnil began her work. "I am fond of Mr. Lupin and would like to keep in touch. Perhaps when I've delivered the Malfoy spawn I can meet with him again."

"You'll have to speak with him. I don't know how he's going to take being deceived like this to begin with."

"I introduced myself to him as Amanda. He didn't seem to recognize this body."

Sirius shook his head. "No, Moony hasn't had much interaction with Narcissa over the years, though if you'd reacted the way she would have he would likely have remembered."

"While you get ready, is it alright if I go speak with him?" Amanda asked. "I'll bring him back here."

"Yes, that's fine with me." Sirius said as Javona nodded and helped her daughter open the doors again.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"Master?" Amanda asked as she entered her suite.

Remus was sitting in a chair by the window, looking through a book. As she got closer she realized it was a book of pictures. Pictures of her growing up!

"Master." She said, and knelt beside his chair.

His eyes moved from the book to bore into hers. "Who is this?" he asked firmly, turning the book to her.

"That is me." She took a slow breath and continued. "The real me. I am currently under a family spell, which transfers my soul into another body."

"Why?" He was quite angry, she could tell, but his control was fairly firm.

"It was not my choice Master." She said, looking down at the floor. "The owner of this body, Narcissa Malfoy, made a pact with Lord Furieux."

His hand closed like steel under her chin and she was forced to look into his eyes. "You look at me when I ask you a question."

"Yes, Master."

"So you have tricked me into having sex with Narcissa Malfoy?"

"Yes, Master." She said with a tremble in her voice.

"Why!"

"Because she is using my body to have sex with her son." Amanda said softly, still looking up into his eyes as he ordered.

"What?" Remus asked and jerked in his chair as though hit with a stinging charm. "Damn, that's sick, even for me."

"And I took a potion to ensure this body became pregnant with your child." Amanda said, still in the same soft voice.

"Are you insane? I'm a werewolf."

"Yes, Master. I cared not for this body as I will return to mine in a few days and wanted to punish her. She intends to have my body bear the next Malfoy."

"And you were not consulted on this?"

"No, Master." She said, her eyes drooping again before she rallied and looked up again. "My mother, she is speaking with your friend Lord Black, about punishing this woman further."

Remus leaned back in the chair, closing the photo album as he did, "Explain."

"She has asked the Lord Black to annul this marriage to Malfoy, and instead bind the body to you. At least until your children are born. Would you come speak with him?"

Remus blinked and then closed his eyes, slowly letting out a long breath. He sat like that for almost a minute. "Yes." He said, getting to his feet and pulling her up. "Let's speak with your mother and Sirius."

"Thank you Master." Amanda said.

}-{

Harry led his ladies through the barrier and onto Platform 9 ¾. They found Neville standing on the other side with his gran, Susan Bones, and Amelia.

"Morning Ladies. Nev." He said and the group moved out of the way so they wouldn't be run into by anyone charging through the barrier.

"When is Lord Black coming back?" Amelia asked softly.

"He's hoping by Yule." Daphne said. "His trial is soon, but he wants everyone in England to hear about it before making any appearances."

Amelia nodded her head. "That should help. I'll make sure to get it distributed at the Ministry."

"Thank you Madam Bones." Harry said.

"Alright now, off you trot." Augusta Longbottom said, shooing them towards the Express as another group came through the barrier.

Standing beside the Express was a man Harry recognized, Mr. Norwood, he was kneeling in front of a young girl, who was crying.

"There you are!" Astoria called from one of the windows of the Express. "Come on." She added with a hasty gesture for them to hurry.

"Coming." Daphne called as Ginny and Luna hurried ahead.

"Mr. Norwood?" Harry asked as the group came to a halt beside him and the girl.

"Lord Potter." Valerie's husband said, putting a gentle arm around the girl. "Would you by chance help my daughter? This is her first year." He said.

"Oh, yes." Ginny said stepping up to the girl. "Hello I'm Ginny Weasley, Ward of House Potter. What's your name?"

"Um." The girl managed and then looked at her father who nodded. "Victoria Norwood. But everyone calls me Vicky." She said.

"Pleasure to meet you Vicky." Ginny said. "Would you like to join my friends and I on the train?"

"If that's alright?" Vicky whispered, looking down at the floor.

"Wouldn't ask if it wasn't." Ginny said and took the girl's hand. "Come on, our friends got a cabin, just there." She said pointing at where Astoria was still watching from the window. She waved in reply when the little girl looked.

Just before they reached Astoria's cabin, Daphne stopped short and walked into the cabin beside it. Harry glanced inside and saw her friend Tracey standing ram-rod straight with her fists clenched at her sides.

"Just a minute." Hermione said and patted him on the shoulder before heading into the compartment.

"Can we join Astoria?" Luna asked him.

He jerked his head around to look down into her blue eyes. "Um, yeah sure."

"We'll be right next door." Ginny said and allowed Luna to drag her into the next cabin, her other hand tightly clasped in Victoria's smaller one.

"Let's put away their trunks." Harry said and picked up Luna's while leaving his own in the hall.

Neville quickly took Victoria's and joined him in Astoria's cabin. They quickly stowed the younger girl's trunks. As they were leaving Colin and his brother Dennis asked if they could share the cabin.

Astoria graciously allowed them to enter, leading to Harry and Neville to exit hastily to discuss it in the hallway. "Where should we sit?" Neville asked him, but he could only respond with a shrug.

Harry was focusing on the whispered conversation in front of him. Apparently Pansy had tried to insult Tracey, but she'd only succeeded in angering the sandy-blonde.

"Boys, store the trunks." Susan said and shoved them into the cabin with Tracey. And then went into Astoria's cabin, leaving the boys with five trunks to move.

"It's alright," Daphne said to the boys. "Come sit." She gestured beyond where the girls stood and then laughed. "Wait we'll move to the corner so you can move the trunks."

The cluster of girls moved closer to the window, allowing Neville and Harry to move all five trunks into the racks while they chatted. Susan hurried back and joined the girls just as they completed their task.

Harry sat in the middle of one bench, while Neville took the seat closer to the door on the other bench. Near as the boys could tell that would present the least objection from the girls, once they decided to speak to them.

He tried to focus on his Occlumency, but the constant whispers distracted him. Then they giggled and broke the scrum. Daphne and Hermione sat on either side of him, with Daphne closer to the door. Susan and Tracey took the seats beside Neville, with Susan beside him.

Fortunately Tracey's anger seemed to have dissipated.

"What did you tell the girls?" Harry asked Susan.

"Oh, just that we'd be over here and to holler if they needed anything. I know they don't really know me well, but since neither of you boys seemed to have a clue someone had to speak to them."

"Hey." Neville said sharply and then blushed when everyone looked at him.

"Well." Hermione said. "Sorry boys, we just had to help Tracey."

"Trace please Hermione." Tracey Davis said quickly.

Hermione smiled warmly back at her and continued. "So apparently Parkinson knows about you becoming Heir Black, your betrothal to Daph, and my status as Consort." She shrugged, "At least we know someone reads the Wizengamot Briefs."

"Oh, count on Parkinson to read those." Susan said.

"Yes, she's usually aware of political maneuvering." Daphne said.

"So," Harry said tentatively, "If I'm allowed to know, what did she say?"

Tracey scowled, but then her resolve returned. "She implied that you'd stolen Daphne from my bed."

"Oh," Neville said with wide eyes. "She implied you were a witches-witch?" he asked.

"She did." Susan said.

"Which is patently untrue." Tracey said. "She's been in Hermione's bed far more than mine." She added with a grin.

All of the girls giggled at that, even the usually stoic Daphne. She also grabbed his hand and wove her fingers into his.

For some reason Harry felt embarrassed by Tracey's insinuation for a moment, then decided it had absolutely no bearing on him or his ladies. Their magic was fully entwined with his. None of them had, or would have, links to anyone else.

If someone had asked him at the beginning of the summer if he'd feel comfortable holding the Ice Queen's hand he would have laughed. Now she'd become a part of him. His world had changed for the better thanks to her presence. He'd been actually trained to fight, as opposed to stumbling along trying to survive. Now he not only knew what he should do, he had someone beside him that was far more deadly than he, and he trusted her to watch his, and Hermione's back.

}-{

Draco was still highly confused. His mother had told him she would meet him after returning to her own body, but she hadn't shown up. He'd waited a good hour, well perhaps a bit less than that, but regardless, she wasn't there.

He couldn't wait any longer or he would miss the train to school.

"Well she'll send me an owl." He said to himself before taking a firm hold of his trunk and activating the international portkey back to England.

Fifteen minutes later he passed through the barrier and boarded the Express. Now to find Potter and his lackeys to taunt them…

He started at the front of the train and worked his way down the cars. About the sixth car back he came across his goons. Crabbe and Goyle had claimed the same cabin as last year. Excellent, he could leave his trunk and take them with him to taunt Potter.

Just as he walked in he noticed Pansy, Millicent and Theo were there as well and both Theo and Pansy looked decidedly upset for some reason.

"What's your problem?" Draco asked as he sat beside Pansy.

"Where have you been?" Theo asked in a hard voice.

"Mother dragged me to France to visit some of her extended family. I just portkeyed back not thirty minutes ago. Why?"

"Because the Dark Lord's been looking for you. Said he had a mission for you. Since you didn't show up, now I've got it." Theo said through clenched teeth.

"Oh." Draco said. He really didn't want to be a part of this, his father had made him swear to continue the line and stay out of it. "Sorry. What do you have to do?"

Theo shook his head. "Never you mind. I'm not telling someone I'm not sure I can trust."

Draco shrugged his shoulders and turned to Pansy who had been rather quiet and not her usual bouncy self. When she didn't turn to look at him he took her chin and gently forced her to look at him. The entire left side of her face was splotchy and bruised.

He hissed a sharp breath as she started crying and twisted to look out the window.

"What happened?"

"She tried to bully Davis." Millicent said in her husky voice.

"Merlin, why would you do that?" Draco asked Pansy softly.

"She…" Pansy started and then put her hands to her mouth for a minute. "She said you weren't going to be Lord Black."

"Oh." Draco said as a chill went down his spine. How could that be, he needed that title to get a second consort.

"Then I tried to hit her with a boil curse." Pansy continued, ignorant of his inner thoughts.

"But you missed." Draco said with a nod, the Ice Bitch and her mirror were good in a fight. "And she retaliated." He found himself nodding again. There was a reason no one tried to push those two girls.

Pansy didn't say anything, just nodded and kept her head down.

"Was the Ice Bitch there?" he asked.

"No." Millicent said with a smirk. "Davis was alone, which is what started the conversation. Pan tried to imply Tracey was a witches-witch."

"This is stupid." Theo said and turned his attention to a book that had been tucked into the bench beside his leg.

"Have you heard why Ice wasn't there?" Millicent asked.

Draco shook his head again, "Been in France most of the summer. What does she mean I'm not the next Lord Black?"

"Well..." Millicent said. "That part I can explain. Apparently Potter's been named the Heir apparent for Black. And…"

"Get on with it." Theo growled, not looking up from his book.

"And he's betrothed to the Ice Queen herself." Millicent finished with a gleeful laugh.

"What?" Draco asked, shaking his head. This couldn't be possible. Draco was the son of a Black, Potter was only a Grandson. "And she didn't kill him?"

"No." Pansy said softly. "Apparently he's also taken Granger as Consort for House Potter. And that rumor of Greengrass and Granger being together looks far more likely now."

"Oh Merlin." Draco said, leaning back on the seat as the whistle blew and the Express jerked into motion. If Potter was allied with Greengrass, and Granger was following Pureblood custom that didn't bode well for him.

This had suddenly turned into a difficult year and he resolved to try and not antagonize his enemies.

He was pleasantly surprised when Pansy took his hand and held it tightly with both of hers.

}-{

The Express chugged into the Hogsmeade station at its usual time and the students streamed onto the platform babbling excitedly. The noise level dropped dramatically when they realized that a dozen Aurors were stationed in the platform. But since none of them moved, either to attack or arrest anyone, the students continued on their way, though decidedly quieter than before.

"It appears Madam Bones is serious about security." Daphne whispered to Harry.

"Yes, I just hope she's vetting her force." Harry whispered to his blonde companion.

"I'm sure she is, if she's listening to Lene." Hermione added from his other side, proving she was listening to them.

"First Years!" Hagrid called from the end.

"Victoria?" Harry said, calling the younger girl's attention to him. "That's Hagrid." He said pointing to the giant man holding a lantern.

"Eep!" she said in a high-pitched squeak.

"He's one of my best friends." Harry continued, and looked into the girl's scared brown eyes. "Really, he's the one who brought me my letter and took me shopping. Even bought my owl Hedwig for me. You're safe with him."

"Oh." She said and then nodded.

"First Years, this way!" Hagrid's booming voice washed over the station again.

"Go on, Vicky, it's alright." Ginny said and the girl started walking.

"You'll be fine." Astoria added, then hurried towards the carriages.

}-{

Since Daphne was his betrothed, the Headmaster had offered to switch her to Gryffindor, so their schedules would match. Reluctantly Daphne approved and in a moment it was done. Well her schedule would match Hermione's, as Harry was not taking Arithmancy. When they entered the Great Hall, the three of them went to the front of the Gryffindor table and sat, only leaving room for the new First Years to sit closer to the Head table.

This caused some raised voices in question, but there were enough who had read the papers and explained the changes to the others. Harry then received several different grades of looks. Some were envious of him, others looked between Daphne's frozen, blank, face and him and gave a sympathetic look.

The fact that Hermione Granger was still plastered to his other side seemed to cause even more confusion. How could she still be there with the Ice Queen at his side.

At the Head Table Marlene was sitting beside Mrs. Norwood and another young woman that none of them recognized. There was an empty chair beside the woman. Hagrid came in through the side door and took his place at the end of the great table, sharing greetings with Professor Flitwick who was closest to him.

Under the table Daphne was clutching his right hand with her trembling left. Regardless of her public appearance, she was terrified of this dramatic shift in her life. Harry tried to reassure her by gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. That did seem to help as she stopped trembling about the time McGonagall strode in with the new additions to the school.

Mrs. Norwood's daughter, Victoria waved at them as she passed. Harry gave her a thumbs-up which made the young girl grin.

The sorting ceremony went along as usual, each house strangely receiving a roughly equal number. Victoria was quickly sorted to Ravenclaw and deviated from her path to join the other new Claws when Luna waved her into the open spot beside her.

Harry smiled, at least the girl would have someone in the house whom she'd met before.

When the sorting was complete the Headmaster stood and addressed the assembly. "Welcome to another year. May your heads be filled with fluff during this year. I have several announcements and introductions to complete."

There was a collective groan from the crowd.

Dumbledore gave a chuckle, "But such can await the filling of our bellies. Let the feast commence!" with that the tables were suddenly filled with platters of delicious smelling food.

Harry began adding his favorites to his plate and the sudden thought of Ron's gluttonous ways made him frown.

"What?" Hermione asked with a light nudge on his arm.

"Sorry, just a random thought of Ronald's eating habits."

"Eww." Hermione said and scrunched up her nose, causing him to chuckle and kiss her upon it.

"Sorry." He added and went back to filling his plate.

"So Harry mate." Seamus called from a few seats down on the opposite side. "Care to explain what's going on to the rest of us?"

Harry scowled briefly and then shrugged. The sooner this was known the better. "Sure."

His quick capitulation caused most of those within earshot to perk up. Potter was never so forthcoming.

"Since the Ministry forced me to participate in the Quad-Wizard Tournament last year, I was declared an adult." He held up his hand to show the Potter ring. "That made me Lord Potter."

He then took Hermione's offered hand, showing her ring, "And I took Hermione as my Consort for House Potter. I was also declared the Heir for House Black." Again he pointed out the ring on his other hand and took up Daphne's hand to display her ring.

"And I became betrothed to Daphne for the House of Black." He concluded to the mostly stunned crowd.

Fortunately this was old news to Neville who was able to pick up the conversation. "So you lot need to realize that Miss Greengrass is here on a permanent basis. She isn't wearing a Slytherin robe, she's in our house now."

"Oh." Lavender Brown said with a decidedly fearful expression on her face.

"In addition," Harry continued. "Since I'm a Lord, I've been issued my own quarters. My Ladies will be there with me."

There was a wolf-whistle from somewhere down the table, cut off sharply when Daphne scowled at the offending seventh year.

"None of that." Neville continued. "This is ancient law and custom." His sharp response caused quite a few heads to nod in understanding.

"What about that other ring?" Parvati asked about the House McKinnon Consort ring he wore.

"Sorry." Harry said. "I'm not at liberty to answer that at this time."

"Oh, alright." Parvati said and then mustered her courage to address Daphne. "Welcome to Gryffindor. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions."

Daphne's raised eyebrow quickly had the pretty Indian girl looking worried.

"Thank you Miss Patil. Should Hermione not be available, rest assured I will take you up on that offer." Daphne said in a surprisingly normal voice.

After that the conversation turned to more mundane topics and the feast went on. Eventually the deserts were served and the Headmaster was again standing to address the crowd.

"Now that our appetites are sated." He began and the conversations died. "First, we are splitting Defense Against the Dark Arts, between two Professors. Lady McKinnon will teach fourth through seventh year."

Marlene stood, the Spear of the Light brightened over her shoulder.

Harry quickly started clapping loudly and even added a whistle when others joined him.

Marlene gave him a pointed look and then curtsied before sitting.

"First through third year will be taught by Mrs. Norwood, a Special Investigator for Madam Bones." Dumbledore continued.

"Go MOM!" Victoria yelled from the Ravenclaw table as her mother stood to fresh applause.

"And yes her daughter was just sorted to Ravenclaw." Dumbledore continued with a happy chuckle. "Now for the most dramatic change. Professor Binns has moved on."

He was interrupted by cacophonous cheering throughout the hall and it took more than a minute to quiet down. "As such the entire curriculum has been modified, this has also been approved by the Ministry Education board. Those of you in your OWL or NEWT years, will have a modified exam at the end of the year to take account for the drastic shift."

That seemed to settle a lot of the questions and he continued.

"As to the instructor." He said, gesturing to the young woman who still sat beside the empty chair. "I have the pleasure of introducing one of my mentors, Madam Flamel."

"Oh, Merlin." Daphne said, clutching Harry's arm hard under the table.

Hermione and Harry shared a look, weren't they supposedly dead? The question passed between them in a flash and then Dumbledore was continuing to the silent crowd.

"Madam Flamel has asked to address you, so I relinquish the stage."

The young woman, who didn't look a day over twenty-five, stood and quickly walked around the table to stand at the front of the raised area.

"Evening everyone. Yes I am that Lady Flamel. I, and my husband, did not pass away two years ago. That was a deliberate attempt by us to step out of the public eye. As to History of Magic, you will receive an un-biased account of the last several millennia, from the Druids, to the Romans, Norman's and the founding of the magical government."

She looked around the room and paused when she met Harry's eyes.

"Those of you from the surviving Most Ancient lines. I'm speaking of Bones, Greengrass, Longbottom, Potter, Black and Selwyn. If you wish to know more about the founding of the Wizengamot and your families interactions with my Godson, please see me after class. Thank you for your time. Oh, yes my husband will be here, and will be teaching an Alchemy class for a maximum of twelve students per year. There will not be a lottery, Nicholas will pick you."

With that the woman turned and returned to her seat. Harry quickly joined in the applause for the immortal woman.

Dumbledore stood again and spoke to the crowd. "Madam Flamel stole my final announcement so I believe we are at the end of the announcements. Welcome back to another exciting year."

"I hope not." Harry said and was echoed by Hermione beside him.

"First years!" Lavender Brown called. "Stay with me."

"And me." Neville called and stood.

"Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked from a few feet away.

"Ma'am?"

"I'll show you and your ladies to your apartment."

"Thank you." Harry said and stood, then provided each lady a hand to assist them to their feet as Daphne had drilled into him.

The suite was a ten chamber affair on the fifth floor between the Gryffindor tower and the one Hufflepuff was located in the basement of. Hermione was positive she caught a glimpse of an elf who vanished as the door opened to the sitting room.

The initial chamber had room for nearly a dozen people to sit and chat with a warm fire in the corner of the room. Beyond that they found a broad chamber with large windows looking over the Forbidden forest. A private dining hall was beside this chamber with a table that could also accommodate twelve. Down a hallway from there were four bedrooms, none of them held their possessions though. They had to back-track and go the opposite direction to find the master bedroom, which held their possessions.

In the bedroom was an additional door, that was decorated with a deeply carved tree, with a Stag prominent beside it.

"That must lead to Marlene's suite." Hermione said and opened the door. Inside was a well-lit staircase leading down.

"Daphne what's wrong?" Harry asked, finally noticing that she was pale and had been silent for too long.

"I'm in a bit of shock I think."

"Why?" he asked and pulled her into a gentle hug, which was quickly joined by Hermione.

Several minutes later she sighed and pushed them away. "Do either of you realize who Madam Flamel's Godson is?"

"No." Hermione quickly answered and Harry shook his head.

"Merlin." Daphne said with an air of finality.

"Woah." Harry said and sat on the end of the bed.

"Yes." Daphne said. "Something about him living backwards through time and an agreement between them for when he's too young to take care of himself."

"Is he…" Hermione started and trailed off lost in thought.

Daphne shrugged but answered the question she knew Hermione tried to ask. "No one knows. He might be encased in crystal in a cave, or still roaming the world, slowly growing younger. There have been rumors, but he hasn't been seen for nearly nine hundred years. The last recording I'm aware of was at Rowena's funeral. He laid the protective enchantments on her tomb as he had the other Founders."

"I bet Lady Flamel knows." Harry said softly.

"Knows what?" Marlene asked from the top of the stairs. She was still dressed in her day robes and carried the Spear.

"Where Merlin is." Daphne filled her aunt in, clearly unsurprised by her sudden arrival.

Marlene nodded. "Yes, I'm certain. She mentioned at the staff meeting he might stop by."

"Wow." Hermione said and collapsed to the floor. Harry just managed to get his hands under her head so it didn't hit the ground.

"What happened?" he asked as Marlene rushed over drawing her wand.

"Shock, I'd say." Daphne said as she knelt and took their brunette companion's hand.

"Yes, she fainted." Marlene said. "Let's get her on the bed." She then levitated Hermione off the floor and gently placed her on the large bed.

"So that leads to your rooms?" Daphne asked pointing to the stairs when Hermione was settled.

"Yes. And Valerie has her own suite beside mine. She knows I'll be here most of the time. And since our rooms are on the third floor, no one will suspect mine is connected to yours up here on the fifth."

"Cool." Harry said, still sitting on the bed holding Hermione's hand.

"I'm going to go change for bed and come back." Marlene said. She left the Spear standing beside the door down to her rooms.

"Do you want to Ennervate her?" Daphne asked.

He shrugged, "Should we let her wake on her own?"

"I'm not sure. Let's put our things away and we'll ask Lene when she gets back if Mine isn't awake yet."

Hermione groaned about two minutes later, putting her hands over her eyes. "What happened?" she asked as they rushed back to the bed.

"You fainted love." Harry said, gently caressing her arm.

"Oh." She said and looked up at them. "Sorry. Why did it happen?"

"Shock at learning Merlin might stop by the castle sometime this year." Daphne said with a smile.

"Yep." Hermione said and nodded slowly, "That would do it. Wow. Just wow." She said and slowly turned to sit with Harry helping her up.

"How do you feel?" Marlene asked as she came back into the room, dressed only in her silk kimono.

"Better now." Hermione said with a warm smile at the nearly-nude woman.

"Glad to be of assistance." Marlene said and tossed her robe into a nearby chair revealing her complete lack of clothes.

Daphne chuckled as both Harry and Hermione licked their lips and everyone quickly stripped out of their clothes.

Marlene dimmed the Spear and then the remaining lights in the room while her companions disrobed. She crawled onto the bed and was attacked by Hermione who seemed to suddenly have an overwhelming need to kiss the Hit Witch with everything she could.

Meanwhile her blonde niece was wrapped in the arms of their Lord, her arms around his neck. She peppered his jaw with feather-light kisses before nipping at his lips. The rough stubble from his cheeks poked her porcelain skin. "Would you mind doing an experiment with me tonight?" she whispered.

His cock was pressed hard against her stomach and twitched at her question, "What did you want to do?"

The Ice Queen paused and then said. "I want you to bugger me."

His eyebrows rose into his fringe.

"Please?"

"Why?"

"I'd like to try it at least once."

"I don't want to hurt you." He said earnestly while looking into her eyes.

"A little pain is alright. After all the first time in the right hole hurt quite a bit, then it got better, oh so much better."

He realized she was being completely honest, which was par for the course when dealing with Daphne. "So long as you're sure."

She nodded and then kissed him until they simply had to part to catch up on their oxygen debt. "Just a minute." She said and cast the wandless cleaning spell up her ass before turning back to him. "Use my cunt to get nice and slippery, then shove it all the way in my ass. Promise me you'll get it all the way inside?"

Harry gulped and spared a glance over her bare shoulder to the action on the bed. Marlene was on her back, with Hermione reversed over her, each was feverously licking the other's cunt while their fingers dug inside, caressing the other's G-Spot.

A loud snap pulled his attention back to the girl in his arms. Her long red nails were an inch from his nose before she put her hand back behind his neck.

"All the way." Daphne said firmly and she finally got a nod of acceptance from him. "Then you don't stop until you cum in me."

He licked his lips and then kissed her deeply. Instead of fighting, she gave completely into him, molding her lithe frame to his hard masculine one and allowing his tongue to caress hers. _This was her Lord, her man, she'd allow him anything._

She ran a gentle caress over his balls, cupping them before tracing delicately up his length causing him to shiver and pull away from her mouth. Strings of their saliva stretched between their mouths, connecting them still.

"You will claim my ass and take it for your pleasure." She husked and he nodded firmly, lust overcoming any further resistance on his part.

He pulled her to the far side of the large bed, where they had plenty of room, and she eagerly climbed on the bed. Leaving her ass high in the air she pulled her knees as far forward as she could and pressed her chest into the soft sheet.

It was only a moment after she felt his weight on the bed before he slipped completely into her honey-slicked cunt. She grunted at the sudden change, one second empty and yearning, the next full and satisfied. His fingers dug deeply into her broad hips, giving him purchase to thrust violently into her for about two minutes, then pulled out completely.

"All the way." She said clearly, then put her head down again and clenched her jaw tightly.

The wet tip of his cock settled into the puckered rosebud of her ass and he pressed forward, one hand firmly on her hip, the other pressing him down into her. Then the head popped past her sphincter and was inside of her.

She jerked, but remained silent at the sudden intrusion. Daphne knew that the more pain and stress she showed, the more likely it was that he would stop. She didn't want him to stop. _Damn it, he was her Lord, and would claim all of her!_

His other hand went back to her hip, wet with her juice so he gripped even harder.

 _Yes, this was how he should be, strong and willing to take what she offered him freely._

He pushed forward, and she shoved back, hard and fast. The result was he shot completely into her so fast his balls slammed forward and slapped her clit hard enough to make him grunt in pain.

The pain was intense, but she kept pushing against him while his pelvis was pressed against her tailbone. Tears leaked from her eyes, and she was glad of the sheets absorbing them before he could see.

Then he pulled back and she ground her teeth together to prevent a cry of pain. _He would take her!_

He thrust forward again, not quite as hard or fast as a moment ago and she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Take me!" She managed to cry out and his fingers dug painfully into her hips, using her bones to slam her back against him with his strong arms. "Yes!" she breathed and lay her head down again with her eyes closed.

The pain lessened the more he continued to plunder her ass. She wasn't close to cumming from this, but would never deny him this should he ask for it.

She really needed a hand on her clit, but she wasn't about to move them from where they were clenched into the sheets, trying to keep her anchored for his thrusts.

Harry seemed to reach the point where he finally lost control and he began slamming into her ass hard and fast.

 _Yes, this was bliss._ His sweat was dripping on her back, and pooling in the hollow of her spine. He was grunting loudly and she didn't care who heard it. _She would satisfy his needs._

He slowed, repositioned his knees, then began an even more frantic pace as he approached is end. Then with a final groan his seed shot into her and she was pulled along with him, over the edge and drenched the sheets below her with her own climax.

"Yes," She managed to say, half-conscious. "Thank you." _Harry Potter was her Lord, he'd claimed another part of her._

Harry surveyed the ruthless blonde under him as she was clearly content with his rough-use of her body. Now that he was done the shame hit him and he gently pulled his softening cock from her abused ass.

Daphne let out a soft sigh and her legs straightened to lightly press against his. She didn't open her eyes or move to turn over. Instead she seemed to be hovering at the edge of blissful sleep.

"It's alright Harry." Marlene said softly.

He turned to the other ladies on the bed, who'd either completed their tryst or paused to watch. Both were grinning at him and kneeling on the other side of the bed.

"Come here love." Hermione said with a warm smile.

Instead of climbing over Daphne, he went backwards off of the bed and walked around to them. Casting a wandless cleaning charm on his cock as he reached them.

They had a Harry-sized gap between them and pulled him down into it, both claiming one of his sides.

"You did what she asked, and she's happy about it." Hermione whispered, tracing his nipple with her index finger.

"But I was so rough…"

"Yes, you were." Marlene said. "But that's what she wanted. Don't ever feel bad about doing what we ask you to. After the way they played with my ass, and yours I might remind you, I'm not against it either."

"Yep." Hermione said, answering his unasked question. "You will claim my ass soon too." She kissed his cheek gently as Marlene cupped his balls.

Harry jerked at the sudden attention, but his cock grew hard again.

Hermione pushed him to roll over atop the Hit Witch, who quickly spread her long legs wide apart for him to slide into her. She gave a contented grunt as he slid completely home.

"Isn't he perfect?" Hermione asked the witch under him.

"Umm hmmm." She hummed and pulled Hermione over so they could kiss.

Having just cum moments ago, and being in a very wet tunnel, meant that it was quite a while before Harry was close to a second climax. But he was in shape and the witch under him was too. She thrust up to meet each of his into her. Even when he hooked her legs with his elbows and pressed her legs farther apart, she welcomed him deeper inside of her.

The new position caused him to speed his pace as sweat dripped from his nose to her breasts. Suddenly he was flooding her womb with his seed and she was clenching down tightly on his shaft.

He collapsed atop Marlene, releasing her legs, which she wrapped around his ass to pull him hard against her as they came down.

Amid their hard breathing she managed to plant a wet kiss on his lips.

Several minutes later Hermione gently untangled them and rolled Harry onto his back beside the content witch. She then claimed his cock with her mouth, cleaning him and working to get him hard yet again.

It took her nearly ten minutes of work, but he rose to the challenge. Before he could move to climb atop her, she was hovering over him and skewered herself upon his shaft.

She shivered at the sensation with her eyes closed. Then grinned down at him and started working him to yet another climax. He wasn't sure he could do this, but so long as she was willing to put in the work, he wasn't going to complain about his first true friend and lover in his favorite position over him.

He reached up, caressing her swinging breasts, tugging firmly on her erect nipples. She groaned and leaned down so he could latch onto one.

Marlene surprised him to shift and put her head beside his to latch onto the other swinging nipple.

"Oh," Hermione gasped, biting her lower lip at the triple stimulation she was receiving. But her legs kept shifting her up and down on him, seemingly ignorant of everything else going through her mind, they kept the pace steady and deep.

She came three times, each one causing her to nearly come to a complete stop, but somehow managing to continue moving, if a bit slower until she recovered. She would not allow herself to stop or she might just fall asleep leaving him unsatisfied.

Hermione Granger would not do that to him if she could possibly prevent it. So she locked down her exhaustion and suppressed her trembling muscles with her Occlumency.

When he finally came she kept moving until he twisted, making her fall to the bed beside him in a sweaty, panting, heap.

Marlene gathered the four of them together, cast a few cleaning charms, and lay down to sleep, for once contented in her life.

}-{

The first morning of classes Marlene was sitting in her office, going over her lesson plans. Somehow she hadn't contemplated this part of the job when she'd taken the Headmaster up on his offer.

A knock came at her door.

"Enter."

Marlene's eyebrows rose in wonder as Madam Flamel entered. "What can I do for you Madam?" She said with a careful tone. She didn't know of any conflicts with the immortal woman, but that didn't mean they were on good terms.

Instead of an immediate answer the ancient lady cast several privacy charms after closing the door. Completely wandlessly, as she didn't even seem to possess a wand.

"Your pardon Lady McKinnon." Perenelle said and sat in one of the two chairs before the desk. "I merely wish to keep this discussion between us for now."

Marlene inclined her head. "Just what is this about?"

"Your family line." Perenelle said and continued before Marlene could interrupt. "I don't believe you are aware yet, but you are with child. Congratulations on your impending arrival."

"Oh, bugger!" Marlene said in a breathless whisper, her vision tunneling and her head spinning.

This caused the ancient woman to lift an eyebrow in question. "Was not the point of taking Lord Potter as your Consort to continue your line?"

Marlene settled into her Occlumency for a moment, then let out a slow breath. "Yes, that was the point." She put her hands low on her abdomen, just how far along was she? It couldn't be more than a few weeks. "But I intended to wait until next year, when I was not his teacher. How did you know?"

"I can see magical auras. So the blossoming of a new one calls my attention." Perenelle said.

"Oh. Damn, Luna will notice as well." Marlene said. "I'll have to speak with her after my Consort is informed." She muttered, lost in thought.

Perenelle stood forcing Marlene to focus on her visitor again. "Regardless there was nothing untoward done. He bears your ring and is considered an adult, by both magic and your governing body."

"Yes. Thank you Madam Flamel." Marlene said, still in shock about the sudden news.

Without another word the ancient woman dispelled her privacy spells and departed.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"Davis?" she heard Zabini call as she stood to leave the common room for class.

"What?" she said over her shoulder.

"Pax." He said holding up both empty hands. "Merely asking if you mind if I walk with you."

"So now that Daph isn't here, you're going to follow me around and stare at my ass?"

Blaise grinned at her. "What do you mean? I've been staring at it for the last two years. Not my fault you've always been too close to her to tell the difference."

Tracy blushed having her own jab turned back on her and strode out into the halls with Blaise walking beside her, grin plastered to his face.

Perhaps it wasn't so terrible that Daphne was no longer in Slytherin. "Fine, I'll let you be my partner in class for now. But if you can't keep up I'll switch with Millie and you can partner with Pan."

"No need to get vicious Miss Davis. And we'll see whom is having trouble keeping up with whom."

"Bring it pretty boy."

"Ouch." Blaise said with a dramatic hand over his heart.

In spite of herself Tracey giggled at his antics. Blaise was the only neutrally aligned boy in Slytherin house in her year. The fact that he was able to hold his own against even the sixth year Slytherins garnered him a lot of respect and an ability to ignore whatever Draco was saying. Not to mention he was certainly pretty to look at with his dark complexion and delicate features. And his Italian accent made her just want to listen to him for hours.

}-{

 _Harry was dreaming, he knew that simply because he was Hermione. And if that statement made sense to him, then it could only be a dream. His reality, or lack thereof, resolved, he went back to whatever this new experience was_.

"What happened?" she heard a gentle voice ask as she muttered a password and slipped into a room.

"Oh Daph." Hermione said and immediately broke down in tears as the blonde Slytherin hurried to hug her.

 _What was going on?_

She was relieved that Daphne didn't press her, simply held her tightly and ran her long fingers through her bushy hair. Occasionally lightly scratching her scalp with her long nails.

"Thank you." She finally muttered into her friends breast.

"It's what friends are for." The fabled Ice Queen replied softly and waited to hear what had caused this.

She knew she needed to tell her, and she would, it would just take her a few minutes to recover. Ultimately Hermione sighed and pulled back, she was still surprised how comfortable she felt around Daphne Greengrass. "Harry got a new broom."

 _Ahh, so this was back then._ He thought.

"From who?"

Hermione shrugged. "That's part of the problem. There wasn't a note with it." She looked up and met Daphne's stormy eyes. "It's a brand new Firebolt!"

"Woah, who would have that kind of money to spend, and then not say it was from them?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, so I told him it might be from Sirius Black. You told me they were rich."

"Yeah," Daphne nodded. "Black could certainly afford it. So you had him take it to McGonagall?"

"I… no… I didn't. But I wish I did it that way instead."

"Oh, dear, what did you do?" Daphne whispered, one hand going to Hermione's cheek.

It took Hermione a minute to gather herself, but with the comforting hand on her cheek she continued. "He wouldn't listen to me. Ronald was badmouthing me and wanted him to go ride it right away. So I ran to McGonagall and told her all about it."

"You didn't." Daphne said with a horrified expression on her beautiful face.

Hermione could only nod.

"Merlin girl, you've got to learn to control that! Explain things to the damned boy! He doesn't trust you enough yet. I've told you." Through her heated words she never stopped caressing Hermione's cheek nor backed away from her.

"I, know." Hermione squeaked out and then crashed forward to claim those perfectly painted red lips with hers.

As first kisses went it was sloppy and hasty, but the Ice Queen gave as good as she got. When they parted minutes or hours later Daphne looked deep into her eyes. "Mine." She said intently.

"What?" Hermione asked, her brilliant brain still befuddled from the intense kissing.

"You're mine." Daphne clarified. "We're going to focus on your Occlumency, so you can control yourself better, then we're going to start working on educating that boy of yours. Perhaps he'll turn into someone we can both love?"

Hermione was smiling by the end of the explanation. "You like him too. Don't you?"

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "I need a man for line continuation. You can have little Potters to your hearts content. I need baby Greengrasses. And unfortunately, even with Polyjuice, we can't get each other pregnant."

"Yep." Hermione said with a much happier smile. "You like him too."

Daphne let out an exasperated growl, which caused her companion to giggle, before shifting gears. "And on that note. Why don't you do anything to make yourself pretty for him?"

"Oh." Hermione said, deflating. "I'm just a bushy-haired-bookworm."

"Oh hell no!" Daphne said firmly and forced their eyes to meet. "We fix that hair and those front teeth and you'll knock him out. Hell, I better make sure you know a few good hexes to keep the other boys away from you."

"Daphne." Hermione said with a sigh. "I've tried to fix my hair, the only thing that seemed to work was some potion Lavender tried. But it's too expensive to use every day."

Daphne shook her head. "Let's try my brush. And we'll cleanup your hands too, keep the ink stains to a minimum, and grow your nails out a bit. Just so they're a little longer than your fingertips. That's plenty, since I know you wouldn't wear them as long as mine. But it will help. I'm telling you. We put a bit of effort into your appearance and that boy won't look away from you!"

The girls wandered off into a loo, Harry found himself standing where they'd been talking. No longer inside his first friend's head. What the hell was all that? Yes, it was back in third year, when they argued over the Firebolt. Yes, Hermione was right, it did come from Sirius Black. Yes, she could have handled it better. But honestly, so could he.

He heard them giggling from the loo and forced himself to leave them alone. He had no right to intrude.

}-{

Hermione was snuggled up against him when he woke the next morning. _Man that was a weird dream._ He thought to himself and kissed Hermione's cheek. He'd heard from both girls how they became friends and lovers in third year, but now he'd somehow actually seen some of it. He would have to try harder to pay attention to all three of his ladies to prevent future misunderstandings.

Marlene and Daphne were missing from the large bed. A quick look at the clock showed it was five after seven.

"She was up at six." Daphne told him from the couch beside the bed.

"What have you been doing?" he asked.

"Got dressed and worked on my Occlumency." She said with a gesture at her school clothes.

"Oh," he said and moved to sit on the side of the bed, rubbing his face briskly with his hands. "I think we should all be getting up when she does. I'd like the time to work on something too."

Daphne smiled warmly at him and lifted an eyebrow. "You sure you don't just want to get up early for another round?"

In spite of being with these girls for weeks he still blushed at her. But that reminded him of how he'd treated her last night and he grew serious. "Are you alright?" he asked and strode over to sit beside her, completely ignoring the fact that he was nude.

"Harry." She said, taking his hands and looking into his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine."

When he didn't look convinced she continued.

"Would you like to inspect my ass? You're welcome to."

"Daph!" Hermione suddenly said, joining the conversation from the pile of blankets she was buried in.

"What? He asked if I was alright." Daphne said and then turned back to Harry. "Look Harry, I'm not one to let others do something to, or with, me that I don't want. I asked you and then participated as much as I could. I was shoving back onto you wasn't I?"

He remained quiet for nearly a minute, Hermione moved the blankets out of the way so she could look at them and he finally answered. "Yes, you were. And you did more-or-less order me to do that. I just felt bad for losing control of myself."

"No." She said and she forced him to meet her eyes before she continued. "Harry, I want you to take charge. I want to know I can make you lose control. I want a man who takes me when he wants. I'm yours. I will not complain about you ever, I mean this Harry, ever touching me, groping me, or having sex. So long as it is done in private. Right now you can pounce on me, tear my clothes off and fuck me, I'd be perfectly happy about it, though we'd be late for breakfast."

"I think you broke him love." Hermione said as she finally sat up in the bed. "Harry." She called and his head snapped around to look at her. "Daphne likes to turn over control in bed. She is usually trying to control everything outside of it and she wants to have someone else in charge for a change."

"What?" he asked, looking back at Daphne.

"Yes." She answered firmly, still in complete control of herself.

Then Hermione was standing beside him, turning his chin to force him to look up into her eyes. "Love. I know you had a rough time with your relatives, always making you do things. Honestly, Daph had a lot of those same issues with her father until Marlene took her in. But in this one aspect of her life she likes it when we are in charge."

When he still didn't seem to understand Daphne's expression turned firm. "You are Lord Potter, the very name sends those of the dark running in terror."

She poked his bare chest with two of her fingers, the long red nails bit into his skin with the force she used. "You are also The-Boy-Who-Lived, and as much as you hate it, it brings added respect to you. In addition you are the first person under fifteen to win the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Ever! You will become Lord Black, a family as dark as the name implies. People fear them for a reason! You will learn what all of this means, and you will take your place among the greatest wizards of all time!"

He sat there stunned at the intensity of not only her words and gaze, but in her magic, so intimately connected to his it pushed into his very soul. She believed every word with absolute conviction.

In spite of his own feelings of being nothing special, he appreciated that others might have a better perspective, especially regarding the wizarding world.

"You are special Harry." Hermione said and caressed his shoulder. "I told you that back in first year. Those damned Dursleys brought you up believing you were a freak and dirt, not worthy of anything." She looked intently into his eyes before continuing with the same tone Daphne had used a minute before. "They were utterly wrong!"

He felt something basic and significant shift within himself. He had no defense against either of these ladies. He'd thought only Hermione was there, but Daphne had shoved her way behind his walls. Now they propped him up, making him stronger than before.

 _You stood up to Voldemort's will, even before this, back in the graveyard. You forced that ball back into his wand. That shows you're greater than he is or was. We've just got to learn more._ Harry two said, his voice reminiscent of the ladies from moments before.

"So, Harry, yes I want you to do precisely what you did last night. I'm not going to complain no matter which hole you're in." Daphne said and then ran her fingernails lightly up his bare back causing him to shiver at the sensation. "Now you two go get showered and dressed. Breakfast starts in ten minutes."

While Harry was still struggling with the concept, and his shivers, Hermione pulled him up and winked at Daphne. The Ice Queen gave her a broad smile and went back into her Occlumency. She had to focus on ignoring the fire in her ass. She would not cast a healing spell on it as she wanted to let her magic heal her and learn to accommodate him. So she had to suppress the pain as she'd be sitting and walking all day and was determined to prevent Harry from feeling guilty about it.

Hermione's squeal of delight interrupted her. She smiled and gave up on her efforts for now.

Twenty minutes later, while Daphne was helping Hermione with her hair as she liked to do. Hermione made a confession. "I had the weirdest dream last night. It was about our first kiss."

Daphne nodded. "Something must have triggered it. What did that boy do this time?"

Hermione smiled and shrugged. "Not sure, but I'm really pretty happy. You?"

"Yep, so long as he stops being so down on himself so much." Daphne added and tied off the long braid she'd just finished in Hermione's brown hair.

}-{

"Potter." Draco sneered as they ran into one another near the Defense classroom. His goons were a few steps behind him but Theo and Pansy were beside him.

"Malfoy." Harry said, his back stiffening, ready for whatever this ponce tried to do.

"I suggest you back off this year." Daphne said in her imperial voice that made the ponce shiver and look fiercely at her for a moment.

"Whys that? Cause Potter's bedding you?" Theo asked with a sneer.

"Because I am her aunt." Marlene said from the doorway. Everyone except Daphne jumped, not having noticed her approach. "Should you push too much I might just issue a challenge against your Head of House."

"He'd…" Draco managed to say, but then grew quiet as their teacher's aura flared, washing over them.

"He'd die." Daphne said firmly and then took Harry's bicep in both of her hands and pulled him into the classroom.

Hermione followed closely behind them, not sparing the idiot any further attention.

Several minutes later everyone was sitting and Marlene was standing upon a stage, with the Spear resting in the crook of her arm.

With a quick gesture the door banged closed. "My name is Marlene McKinnon, I am Lady McKinnon and the Spear of the Light." She held the Spear forward and it grew too bright to look at, flooding the room with it's magic.

"The Spear seeks those who have spent their life performing evil deeds. You feel just a taste of its power now. Those of you trembling, take this as a warning. You are on the brink. I will not tolerate those who go too far. I have the authority and the right to stop you."

About half of the Slytherins were unable to move when the light receded. Hermione made a quick mental list; Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy and worst of all Nott. She was quite surprised that neither Parkinson nor Bulstrode had reacted badly to the Spear's light.

When everyone was again paying attention to her she continued. "I will take a very practical approach to this class. We will form teams of four. Something you will all, no-doubt, be cursing me for. But the point is that you will be learning to fight together, working with your partners."

She left the Spear standing in the middle of the stage and pulled the chalkboard forward with a spell. "Here are the starting groups. At least one member of each group is from the other house, and the groups are also mixed in blood status."

 **Team 1**

Millicent Bulstrode

Neville Longbottom*

Parvati Patil

Vincent Crabbe

 **Team 2**

Daphne Greengrass

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Pansy Parkinson*

 **Team 3**

Dean Thomas

Draco Malfoy

Gregory Goyle

Theodore Nott*

 **Team 4**

Blaise Zabini

Lavender Brown*

Seamus Finnigan

Tracey Davis

"I'm not going to be in a group with a Gryffindor!" Draco loudly proclaimed a moment after the list appeared on the board.

"This is not supposed to be an easy exercise, and I am not a blind fool to believe you will all actually get along. But unless you wish to spend your time in my class writing extremely long and detailed essays, you will participate."

"Oh…" Hermione said and put her hand up. Harry quickly snatched it down and she pouted but remained silent. She liked writing long, detailed essays.

"Why is Potter with both Greengrass and Granger?" Draco asked without raising his hand.

While Harry bristled, Marlene laughed. "Have you not heard? Mr. Potter is Lord Potter, having been declared an adult in the eyes of magic and law by the Wizengamot. Miss Granger is Consort to House Potter. He cannot be denied her. And Miss Greengrass is his betrothed for House Black. She cannot be separated from him. So is anyone else in a finalized betrothal or consort contract in this room?"

Pansy and Draco looked like they both wanted to say something, but backed down when they realized that though the contract existed, it had not been completed. Legally they couldn't do that until they were both of age.

"May I officially protest my placement?" Pansy said, just managing to speak without her voice cracking.

"Yes." Marlene said. "Does anyone else wish to go on the record?"

"I do." Malfoy said.

"Me too." Dean said.

"Very well. Noted. Teams will not be changing." She said, looking right at Draco who gulped, but managed to not look away immediately.

"Those of you with a star by your name… You are the leader of your group." Marlene said and then waited for the protests to die down. "Two of the groups are led by Gryffindors and two by Slytherins. As a team leader you are responsible for assigning roles in the group and thus responsible for how well each person performs in that role."

When the four team leaders had realized what she said she continued. "You will be pretending to be an Auror squad. Which typically includes the following responsibilities: Defense, Offense, Healing and Rear Guard."

As she spoke the roles appeared on the chalkboard.

"The Leader can fill any of those roles, but I do not recommend being Rear Guard as you won't be able to focus on the team objective."

"Just what is our objective?" Blaise asked.

"Ah." Marlene said and smiled at them. "To accumulate points in each week's task. There will be prizes for each team member depending upon where the team places at the end of the year."

1st Place – 10,000g

2nd Place – 5,000g

3rd Place – 2,000g

4th Place – 1,000g

"Again, this is per person at the end of the year. And yes, this will be happening for all of my classes."

"Alright." Draco said. "For that many galleons I want Potter on my team."

Marlene shook her head. "Teams will not change. And I should mention that if one of your team members is unable to participate in any of the objectives you will automatically place last in the score that week."

When everyone still seemed to be in shock she sat on the edge of her desk. "Team Leaders come here."

With the four nervous students standing in front of her she created a silence ward around them. "We will spend the remainder of this class period in your group. You need to discuss who is to fill each role for the tasks, though this initial one will not require anything more than puzzle-solving. Yes, you can modify those roles each week. The hint I will give you for the first objective is this." She handed each of them a small clay tablet, that contained a runic script on one side while the other was blank.

"Discuss the clue with your team. Correctly interpret the objective and you will have better information with which to prepare. Each grade will have a different task each week, so don't bother asking the older or younger students if they've figured theirs out."

"Why are we doing this class so differently?" Neville asked.

"Because this method will push all of you to learn, not just defense, but how to research the clues and work together. These objectives cannot be won by one or two members of a team pulling all the weight. Each of you must. Let me repeat that. Must, find something for each member of your team to do. Yes, even those lagging far behind this grade level."

"We're going to need to meet up between classes, other than the library, where we can't really talk much, can we meet here?" Lavender asked.

Marlene smiled. "Good question. There are dozens of unused classrooms. I've had the elves clean up the ones on the fourth floor, of this wing. There is a board attached to each door. Simply write your year and team number on it. Anything else?"

When no one said anything she dispelled the silence ward and stood.

"Team members, your leaders now have a clue which will give you a leg up on the first objective. The remainder of this period will be spent with your teams."

She used her wand to conjure four round tables, that were in the extreme corners of the room from one another. Then a number appeared over each table.

Daphne was striding directly at Pansy as though she was going to walk right over her. Harry managed to get in front of her when she drew her wand.

Hermione took a more direct route and simply grabbed Daphne's wrist. She pulled her around and then gently hugged her while whispering into her ear.

Harry turned to their trembling Slytherin leader who hadn't moved a muscle. "Sorry. She won't harm you."

Pansy managed to tear her eyes from the girls to focus on Harry. "I'm sorry I insulted Miss Davis yesterday. It was a stupid idea."

Her whispered words seemed to gain Daphne's immediate attention. "What the hell Parkinson?" she hissed.

"Sorry." She repeated and sat at the table. The tablet clattered to the wooden surface as she released it to cover her face.

"Daph!" Harry said firmly and the Ice Queen allowed herself to be guided to the chair furthest from their team leader.

Harry and Hermione took the remaining chairs, putting them on opposite sides of the square table. "What's going on Daphne?" Harry asked after he figured out no one was going to speak.

"I won't allow my best friend to be insulted." Daphne said, her words clipped off in anger.

Hermione took both of her hands. "She apologized, you've got to drop it."

"Very well." Daphne said, but didn't seem sincere.

"Miss Parkinson." Harry said to get her attention a minute later. "What are we supposed to be doing?"

The Slytherin girl wiped her eyes and then flipped the clay tablet over, revealing the script. "Figuring this out. I'm in Arithmancy, not Runes." She said, shoving the tablet so it slid across the table towards Daphne and Hermione.

"This isn't any runic script I'm familiar with." Hermione said and waited for Daphne to give a shake of her head to confirm she also did not recognize it. "Guess we'll have to search in the library for clues."

"Anything else?" Harry asked Pansy.

"Yes." She said nodding her head. She took another moment to gather herself and spoke in a more normal tone. "The first task doesn't involve fighting, just problem solving. We also need to discuss the roles we will all play in the group."

"Offense." Daphne said and picked up the tablet before focusing on the strange angular script.

"I guess I can be healer." Pansy said.

"I'll be rear guard then, though I'm pretty good at healing too." Hermione said.

"I can't be rear guard though." Pansy said.

"That leaves me for defense I guess." Harry said.

"This is Sumerian." Daphne suddenly said, holding the tablet out towards the middle of the table.

"Cuneiform!" Hermione blurted, snatching the tablet. "I thought it looked familiar."

Harry and Pansy shared a surprisingly similar look of exasperation at them.

"So library?" Harry asked to get them back on track.

"We can also meet in the classrooms on the fourth floor." Pansy said and stood. "Though we probably need some books to translate that first."

"Yes." Harry said.

"Lady McKinnon, are we allowed to go to the library now?" Pansy asked.

"If you wish, yes." Marlene said and gave Daphne a piercing look which caused the girl to flush and nod her head.

}-{

"Listen Thomas." Nott said in an intense whisper when his team gathered at the table. "You'll stay out of our way."

Dean bristled at the tone, then Malfoy looked at him in a similar fashion, and Goyle looked… Well, Goyle looked like he was constipated, but it was still a scary look. "I want to win that money too." He finally said. "So, I can put aside my dislike of Slytherins to work towards that if you can. Besides, I don't see how anyone's going to beat out Potter's team so we're all gunning for second prize."

Draco looked across the room, at Pansy, she was covering her face and he suddenly wanted to walk over there and comfort her. But that would show weakness on his part so he scowled instead. Potter was pissing him off.

"I'll talk to Pansy about slowing them down." He said.

Nott laughed at that and shook his head. "She won't stand up to Greengrass. I don't know what Potter's done, but he's got her. All of us have lost duels to her, hell half the upper classmen lost to her. And now we know why." He said pointing at Lady McKinnon who stood on the platform, Spear in hand and surveyed the room like a damned Hit Witch!

"I'd like to fuck that bitch." Goyle muttered, also looking at their teacher.

Dean laughed at that comment, but quickly grew quiet as they looked at him. "Sure, all of us would. But she's far too dangerous to risk it. Romalda Vane puts out for 5 galleons though, if you're looking for a fix."

Surprising himself Nott smiled. "We might be able to work together after all Thomas. So here's the clue to the first task." He pushed the tablet into the middle of the table. None of them moved to pick it up.

"We're screwed." Draco said and slumped back in his chair.

Dean shrugged, "You can still get a lot of witches for 1,000 galleons."

That caused even Goyle to laugh.

}-{

Neville looked nervously at Millicent before addressing her. "Sorry, I haven't spoken to you in a while."

She scowled at him, crossing her arms under her sizable bust. "It's been almost five damned years, almost as long as we were friends before school started."

The Longbottom Scion nodded his head. "Yeah, I know. Susan pointed that out to me this summer. But, I've been terrified of approaching you with other…" He trailed off looking at Vincent. The boy seemed oblivious, instead looking at something he'd dug out of his nose.

Neville shuddered and decided to ignore the lug. "With other Slytherins around I didn't feel comfortable."

"Whatever." Millicent said in a tone of finality making his shoulders slump.

"Look." Parvati said. "We need to focus on what we're doing here. You two can work out your angst without me around."

"Sorry." Neville said with a light blush while Millicent tried unsuccessfully to hide her own rose cheeks.

"What's the tablet?" Vincent said, gesturing to the clue sitting on the table before Neville.

"Oh, it's our clue to the first task." He said and put it in the middle of the table.

"We got some things, look like that, back home." Vincent said.

"Really?" Parvati asked leaning forward to look at the script closer.

Vincent shrugged. "Mum's always going on about ancient history stuff. Only parts I listen to are the fighting. Eye for an eye and all that stuff. Those people were brutal!" He said happily and grinned, lost in thought suddenly.

"So what does that tell us?" Neville asked.

"I'll owl Mrs. Crabbe." Millicent said. "Can we get a picture of that to send her?"

"I'll get Colin to take one." Neville said.

}-{

"The way I figure it." Lavender said when her team approached the table. "Is that we're the only team with a shot of beating Team two."

"How ya figure?" Seamus said, slouching in his chair.

"I figure, that Davis and Zabini are pretty smart and high in the class standings. I'm not half-bad at healing. You'll need to work your tail off to contribute your share Finnigan."

"My share?"

"Yes, we've all got to contribute to the effort or we're automatically last on that week's task. So, with Weasley out of the picture, you're the lowest scoring student in our year. Yes, even below Goyle!" Lavender said looking intently at the Irish boy.

"Well, this does seem promising." Blaise said with a soft clap of his hands.

"Continue Brown." Tracey said, her voice extremely neutral.

"This," Lavender said and slid the clay tablet to the middle of the table. "Is our clue to the first task. This one will not involve fighting she said, just puzzle solving. Does anyone recognize this script?"

"Looks ancient." Blaise said and then snapped his fingers. "We should ask our new History teacher about it."

Tracey looked at him, her eyes going wide. "I agree with that. Let's see if Madam Flamel is willing to help us."

"Is that allowed?" Lavender asked, her brows scrunching down in thought.

"Wasn't, mentioned was it?" Blaise asked.

"No," Lavender said shaking her head slowly.

"That's the Slytherin way of thinking about this type of thing." Blaise said. "Find someone who does know and ask them. She might just tell us no, or she could ask us for something in exchange. Either way we're better off, faster, than without."

"Alright, let's discuss our roles then."

"Davis is the best at offensive spells." Blaise said. "I'll be defense or rear guard, as you choose."

"I don't trust Finnigan to defend us, so he's on rear guard. Hopefully he can at least make a sound when he gets taken out." Lavender said, looking angrily at the Irish boy.

}-{

Narcissa woke from the nightmare-long transfer back into her own body. She couldn't see much beyond a yellow blur. She tried to use her hand to brush it away, but discovered her thumbs were pressed into her back, her thumbnails dug into the skin between her shoulder blades.

 _What the hell._ She thought and then realized she was nude and tied to a wooden frame.

The sound reached her a second before the pain as something slammed into her right ass cheek hard enough to shake the solid frame holding her.

"Thank you Master." Came out of her mouth and she froze in abject horror. _What had happened to her body while she wasn't in it?_ _Oh no, I knew the oath wasn't enough!_ She lamented.

Then the sound came again and this time the pain was on her left ass cheek.

"Thank you Master." Came out of her mouth again as soon as she got her breath back from the pain.

 _Merlin, this is bad._ She thought. "Please Master, fuck your pet's ass again." She said. _What did I just say? I've never done that before. Wait? Again?_

"I'll take whichever hole I want, when I want it, and not a moment sooner pet." He said in a very firm voice that made her body vibrate to hear.

 _Oh Merlin, I'm bound to him!_

 _What had that bitch done to her body?_ With slight wriggling she determined that everything was still attached. She was kneeling in this frame, her head held in place like a common criminal in the stocks. Her arms were folded backwards and tied or stuck with a spell, she couldn't tell which, to her back.

Her knees were about two feet apart and she was folded into the frame as she could feel the smooth wood against her stomach. Her ankles were attached tightly to something. Her feet were unbound but since neither could reach anything it hardly mattered.

 _But her magnificent breasts were dangling, yet also being squeezed somehow. It felt like ropes were twisted around them, but why would anyone do that? And something was alternately pulling and releasing her nipples._

The yellow haze in front of her eyes was her hair, which she couldn't do a damned thing about. When she looked down she could see a stone floor and the feet of the wooden frame.

She felt his presence close to her ass. The heat coming from him was palpable. Then his meat lay upon her ass, just the weight of it made her swoon.

"Does pet need a fuck?" his deep voice said slowly.

She was nodding before he finished. "Yes, please Master." She said, and this time wasn't sure if the bond was the cause of her words or not. Narcissa Malfoy had just spent the last month having the most sex of her entire life. She'd come to crave it and had determined to find someone to fulfill her new needs.

The huge head of his cock pushed her lips wide apart and she groaned and tried to push back onto him, but the frame prevented her from moving. Her cunt was an absolute river of honey. He pushed in, without pause, until he was completely buried inside her. _Oh Merlin and Morgana!_

He paused a few seconds as she twitched around him, then he gripped the solid frame and began to piston in and out of her. The speed took her over the edge almost immediately and kept her there.

She came hard and frequently over the next hour, while he rarely paused or slowed.

Only when his cum erupted into her did she come back to herself. With a chill as cold as if she'd been dunked in the Thames in February she realized she couldn't feel a single piece of her jewelry. Without their protections she would assuredly become pregnant.

"Thank you Master. This pet wishes she could make your babies faster." She found herself saying as another wave of fear went through her.

 _Oh, no she couldn't stand the thought of bearing another child. Just the one was painful enough. What did she mean babies? More than one? No. no. no._ She lamented inside her head, but couldn't voice or act on any of those thoughts.

"The babies will come in their own time and they'll enjoy sucking your teats dry."

He pulled out of her, her cunt closing tightly to keep his seed inside as he did. Suddenly she was being unbound and released from the frame. Her body was levitated over to a warm bed where she lay still, not trying to move yet, knowing that she had to wait for her limbs to recover first.

"I've got a training session pet. Back in a few hours." She heard him saying and managed to turn her head in his direction.

The room was certainly well decorated, fine furniture and art made it seem as rich as any room at Malfoy Manor. But there didn't seem to be a single window anywhere, at lease none that hinted at light.

She saw the back of a tall man with long brown hair, streaked with grey, he was nude as he walked up a flight of stairs and closed the door. _Maybe she could find her wand, while he was gone?_ She thought but just as her arms started to tingle painfully she drifted off to sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Cissy?" She heard and then a sharp snapping noise directly in front of her. She jerked back, expecting pain, but instead saw a man's hand before her. "Morning." He said and she focused on him.

"Sirius!" Narcissa exclaimed. She wanted to kill him, but that ring on his hand made her freeze in terror. "Oh, no. You're Lord Black."

"I am." Sirius said calmly. "Stand up, position one."

Though she groaned she found herself on her feet with them spread a bit more than shoulder-width apart and her hands behind her neck. She then pushed her elbows back, lifting her perfect breasts.

"Good girl." Sirius said, as he slowly inspected her perfect body. "I've been receiving treatment here for a while now, even did some time-turning at my own expense, to speed the process along."

There was absolutely nothing she could do. He was her Lord and thus master. She was surprised she'd been able to speak to him. Wait, maybe she could talk to him now. "What's going on?" she managed to ask.

He was kneeling, looking intently between her legs. "I've ended your contract with Malfoy, making you a Black once again."

 _Merlin, she was free of that pompous fop!_ She felt his hand slide up her inner thigh and several fingers hook into her folds. He wasn't rough, but the sensation surprised her and she took a sharp breath.

"You brought this upon yourself you know." He said and stood, holding his dripping fingers out to her.

She opened her mouth, knowing precisely what she was supposed to do. Then she sucked his digits clean when he placed them into her mouth. She tasted a little tangy, but otherwise not unpleasant.

"Had you not used another against her will, you would still be free. Instead I discovered your pact with Lord Furieux. In case you were unaware, they are a minor house, or branch of the greater Family Black."

She was still sucking on his fingers, gently caressing them with her nimble tongue, even as her mind raged against this.

"As such I've signed your body, please note the language there, your body over to my best friend Remus Lupin."

Her breath hitched and she felt hot tears drip down her cheeks.

Sirius pulled his fingers free and patted her cheek. "Yes. You're now a slave to a werewolf. And yes, you're pregnant with his twins. The contract specifies you must give him four children who reach seventeen years of age. So you'll be serving him for at least the next two decades. I recommend you ensure that you do everything in your power to give him healthy and strong children."

He cupped both of her magnificent breasts, thumbing her erect nipples back and forth. "I really contemplated keeping you for myself you know."

Her Lord backed away, letting her breasts sway slightly as he did. "Such a perfect body, but with such a twisted mind inside. Perhaps it's really all of us Blacks that are twisted. You know Andy was fucking Remus before you? Yes, I caught them doing it in my bedroom. So perhaps I'll acquire Bella for him to complete the Black-Sister-Trifecta."

 _Her life had become her worst nightmare._ "Please, My Lord?" She begged softly.

"Cissy." He said, sitting on the desk a few feet away. "I assure you that this is the least of the punishments I contemplated. I may be Lord Black, but I will not hold the title for long. I've made my godson my heir." He laughed at her expression.

"Yes, that means Draco could not inherit until Harry dies. As such I've also signed a betrothal contract for him, with the elder Greengrass girl. You might encounter her, she's a witch in the old ways. In a matter of a few weeks she's been accepted by the family magic. For all intents and purposes she is now Lady Black. And Merlin does she know what that means…"

 _Could this girl really be like great aunt Dorea? Greengrass was as ancient as any family and Draco had been completely powerless to get the girl on his side. Perhaps she was like Dorea if she had been accepted by the Black family magic._

"Amanda Furieux, the sixteen year old girl you switched bodies with, has fallen in love with Remus. She was the one who ensured you got pregnant. Since she knew you were getting her body with your son's child."

He put his feet up on the chair and crossed his hands on his knees. "Seriously, Cissy. What mother does that? I'd say you were sicker than I am, except that the thought of it gets me going too. So since us Blacks are so twisted. Well…" he shrugged.

"Please." She whispered again.

"What would you have me do? Remus will not permanently harm you. But he knows what you have done to Amanda. Once her child is born, I've arranged for her contract to also be given to Remus. So the two of you will be together for a while."

He snapped his fingers again. "Sorry, I mean the three of you will be together of course. She's free to have as many of his children as she wishes. And she's sworn to outdo your total, whatever that may be."

Sirius stood and stepped directly in front of her. "Remus Lupin is the Master of your body. You will never speak out against him in public. In private you may act as he allows. Personally I'd have you shut the hell up and use that mouth for what it's good for. Your divorce will be announced in two weeks' time."

He stepped back, looking intently over her perfect body once again before turning and walking up the stairs her Master had taken some time ago.

Remus Lupin descended those stairs before she could think to move. He was dressed and covered in sweat from whatever training session he'd gone to. His eyes roved intently over her and she felt her magic react, her cunt, already wet, gushed and a rivulet started down her right thigh.

He looked her over, clearly not pleased and she trembled but remained in position one as she'd been ordered to. "Wash me." He said and walked towards a doorway near the bed.

She hurried to follow, eagerly removing his sweaty and dirty clothes. He reeked of sweat and she found herself even happier, Lucius had been a fop, nearly as feminine as she. Her Master was a man!

 _Damn, where did that thought come from? I can't even think my own thoughts inside my head._ She lamented, even as her hands finished unbuttoning his outer shirt and stripped it from his long, strong, arms.

His grey undershirt was plastered against his skin, she peeled it from his scarred, muscled chest and over his head. She had to stand against him and rise to her toes to get it off of him, he was so much taller than she.

Narcissa inhaled his scent as she lowered herself, breasts pressed against his chest, hard nipples catching on his matted chest hairs.

Before he could complain she knelt and worked to unbuckle the stiff leather belt he wore. It came free a moment later and she unbuttoned his jeans. He sat on the closed toilet, lifting his booted foot to her.

She had to knock some dirt free of the laces to untie it, then the muddy toe of the boot was jammed into her cunt, nearly lifting her from the ground and making her see stars from the pain. "Thank you Master." She said and hooked her fingers around the heel of his muddy boot before leaning back, grinding the muddy boot into her clit, but freeing his foot from its confines.

Narcissa placed the boot on the tiled floor and stepped over his other boot, when he lifted it she jammed it into her own cunt, even harder than he had. With the dirt scratching her tender flesh she untied the boot and then pulled it free of his foot.

He wanted her punished for what she'd done to the Furieux bitch, well she'd punish herself.

The boot joined the other on the floor and she tugged his socks free.

He stood, allowing her to remove the jeans. He wore nothing under them. His beautiful cock came free. A quick glance at his face told her to keep working on washing him. So instead of swallowing that massive cock she stepped into the shower and turned it on. Since it was a magical shower the temperature was perfect from the first drops.

Master stepped into the shower after her and she found the soap to scrub him clean. She worked diligently, not saying a single word as she cleaned the dirt and grime from his tall frame. When every inch below his chin was clean he stepped back into the water, allowing the water to wet his hair.

She found the shampoo and again on her toes, pressed against him, she washed his hair, being very careful not to hurt him by pulling too hard on them.

Once he was rinsed free he stepped out of the shower. "Clean yourself." He ordered and she hurried to do a thorough job, especially between her legs. No grains of sand could be permitted to remain lest they harm him.

He stood beside the shower, toweling dry, and watching her. His cock had remained hard since his pants had been removed, she was waiting for permission to service it.

Her long hair took several minutes to wash and then condition. But she knew not to rush, lest he grow angry as her not being clean. Finally clean she turned off the water. "Master?"

"Dry yourself." He ordered, pointing to the towels on the rack beside the shower.

She'd not used a towel since before she attended Hogwarts, that didn't mean she had forgotten how though. It was soft and seemed to be enchanted to remove water as it dried her hair in moments.

Now clean, dry, but with fairly wild hair, she stepped from the shower.

"Follow." He said and walked back into the bedroom and over to a low stool.

Her eyes widened when she saw the toy cock mounted to the stool.

"Sit." He ordered, pointing at the thing.

Narcissa straddled the stool and cock, spreading her cunt open she pressed down upon the large head. It only took her a few hesitant strokes before her honey had slicked it enough to slip inside her. Then she squatted down, driving the shaft deep inside. Her ass hit the seat of the stool a moment later and she groaned, it filled her nearly as much as Master did.

"Hands at your sides, hold the stool."

She did as ordered and was surprised when he stepped behind her. Moments later she felt a brush working its way through her thick tresses. The enchanted brush had her hair tamed in a few minutes. He then tied it back with a red ribbon.

 _Why was he brushing her hair? She'd been expecting more tying and slapping as when she awoke._

He stepped in front of her, cock-head right at the height of her mouth. She opened and met his eyes before taking him into her mouth.

 _If she was his for the next two decades she needed to please him, get him to not be so angry with her or her life could be too terrible to think._

In spite of the anger in his eyes she didn't flinch away from them, continuing to stare up into them as he went to the back of her throat. She didn't know how to do more, but knew that he would accept nothing less than to be completely inside her mouth. That meant down her throat. So she shoved forward, gagged, then tried again. It took her far too long to get him down her throat, but he didn't reprimand her or do a single thing to assist her.

Then his hands were on her head, pressing her nose painfully against his hair and he erupted down her throat.

She struggled to swallow, but since it was being deposited directly into her stomach, there wasn't much she really needed to do.

"Thank you Master." She husked, her throat raw, when he stepped back and pulled free of her lips.

He studied her face intently for a minute, eyes boring into hers. She stayed precisely where she was, lips slightly parted, eyes open.

"Fuck yourself in the ass on my cock." He ordered and lay down on the bed, hard cock proudly waving in the air.

 _She didn't want to do that at all, but his words were too firm to give her any options._

"Yes Master." She said, a sucking sound accompanied her cunt coming off of the shaft mounted to the stool.

}-{

The trip to the library was mildly tense. Pansy walked quickly, forcing them to hurry to keep up. She never once looked back to see where they were, but her tense shoulders told Harry she was terrified she was going to be cursed in the back, though was unwilling to actually run from them.

"Parkinson, I've never struck you in the back and I'm not about to start now." Daphne finally said.

She looked over her shoulder and gave a sharp nod. Her pace slowed enough for them to walk normally, but she didn't say a word. Pansy finally stopped once they entered the library, she motioned them to the desk.

Hermione walked up to the librarian, having spoken to her frequently over the last four years. "Where are the ancient language books? Specifically Samarian."

Madam Pince looked down her long nose at the Gryffindor girl a moment before she replied. "Aisle forty two, section seven through fourteen. Some of them are original scrolls, do not damage them."

"Of course Madam." Hermione said and then led them off into the tall stacks. They stayed close to her, fearful of the librarian's anger should they linger where she could see them.

"How do you deal with her?" Pansy whispered.

Hermione shrugged, concentrating on the roman numerals that designated the aisle.

"Well after she tore a page out of a book back in third year." Harry said and was promptly slapped on the shoulder by Hermione who otherwise paid them no attention.

"She had to pay a fine on that." Daphne added and paused her step just enough for their brunette companion to miss her when she tried to repeat what she'd done to Harry.

"You really are happy." Pansy suddenly said, coming to an abrupt stop, staring at Daphne.

Hermione and Harry kept walking, she because there were books to find and information to learn, he because he wanted no part in the conversation.

"If you need to know." Daphne said calmly. "Yes."

"How?" Pansy asked and then had to hurry to keep up with Daphne as she resumed walking.

"The future Lord Black has exceeded any expectations. And that is as much as I will share with you."

"Oh," Pansy said and grew quiet.

The four of them gathered in the narrow aisle forty two. "Now the hard part." Hermione said with a sigh. "Daph, can you handle these? Harry go find us the closest open table."

Harry vanished down the aisle to the side where the tables were.

"What do you want me to do?" Pansy asked.

"Give me a minute." Hermione said and started shifting through ancient scrolls. Two of them went immediately to Daphne's waiting arms. It was several minutes later that she moved on to the actual tombs, without selecting another scroll. "Go ahead Daph, see if you can find anything in those."

With a sharp look at Pansy, Daphne strode after Harry.

Once they were alone the Slytherin felt she had to speak. "I really do want to help." She said softly.

"I'm not the one angry with you." Hermione said and pulled a thin volume from the fourth shelf. After a quick look through it she put it back and pulled another down to look at. "We need to find books to help us translate that clue. Most of these are merely written in Cuneiform, which of course does us no good. Those scrolls were in Latin and seemed to explain some words. At least according to the synopsis. Ah, here." She said and pulled a thick book from the highest shelf she could reach without a spell.

She handed it to Pansy. "Take that to the table and see if you can get anywhere with it. I'll be there after I'm done looking through this section."

Pansy came out of the aisle to find Daphne pressed tightly against Lord Potter. She froze and managed to take a half-step back and wait there. She observed them for a moment, they were simply standing, each was holding the other tightly against them, with their heads pressed together cheek-to-cheek.

"You can join us Miss Parkinson." Harry said. "It's alright." He added when she stood frozen.

Daphne did not pull away quickly or show the slightest embarrassment. Instead she pushed him gently into the seat and then sat in his lap. The action was both elegant and familiar to them both.

Pansy put the large book down and started looking through it, trying not to pay them any attention, but inside she was completely shocked by the radical change in her former dorm-mate. Just last year the Ice Queen would have hexed any boy within an inch of his life for accidentally touching her.

She looked up as Lord Potter settled his arms around her, hands clasped to hold her in place. That's when the third ring he wore called her attention.

"Shut it." Daphne suddenly said coldly.

Pansy looked up and found the Ice Queen's wand pointing between her eyes. She gulped but didn't move.

"Put that away." Hermione hissed as she hurried over to the table.

An irritated look crossed the Ice Queen's face as she turned her attention to Consort Potter. "She recognized his ring."

Hermione shrugged. "Someone was bound to."

"It's alright Daph." He said and kissed the back of her neck making her shiver before she relaxed.

"Fine." She managed to say, sliding into the seat beside him. "You keep that secret. No spouting it to Malfoy!"

Pansy nodded her head vigorously. "Merlin." She managed to finally say. "That's official?"

"It is." Harry said firmly, his magic wrapping around his witches beside him.

"Sorry." Pansy finally said and went back to the book she was supposed to be looking through.

"Can we focus here?" Hermione said to Daphne who shrugged and untied the first scroll she'd been entrusted. "Pansy. Harry and I do not feel you need to be threatened so, and we'll work on Daph. Please keep our secret in this matter. It affects no one else but the four of us."

Pansy had looked up from her book when her name was called, but she stayed hunched over the book, hands defensively close to her sides. "I'll try."

"And I'm done." Harry said firmly, making the scared girl look back to him. "No more witches. Or wizards for that matter." He clarified a moment later.

"Yes, Lord Potter." Pansy said when she processed his words. Since it was publicly known he had accepted two wives, those needing Line Continuation would try to join them, especially if his Consort status was recognized. "Is that alright to speak of?"

He nodded. "Yes, that is something I want known."

"Books. Reading. Translate." Hermione said, her words clipped with a hint of anger at the delay. No one disputed her words as they all focused on the task at hand.

}-{

Ginny waited patiently with her fellow fourth year Gryffindors. She'd had several uncomfortable conversations with them. Mostly dealing with her family's arrest and injuries. Though the Potter crest on her right shoulder drew nearly the same number of questions and she grew tired of saying that she was a Ward of House Potter.

Luna slipped into the open space beside her along the wall. "Hi." She said in her distracted voice. Since her father had charged Lady McKinnon with watching over her before he departed her own school robe bore the McKinnon crest on her right shoulder.

"You don't have to put that face on for me you know." Ginny whispered, looking through her red bangs at her childhood friend.

"I know." Luna said, but only managed half-a-smile in response. "Too many people are asking about this." She said tapping her shoulder.

Ginny gave her a brief hug. "They keep their promises." She said with her head pressed against Luna's.

Just then the door opened and the fifth year Defense class exited. She watched expectantly for Harry and Hermione to come out but they never did. She quickly poked her head into the room to only find Mrs. Norwood speaking with Lady McKinnon.

"Come in." Mrs. Norwood said with a welcoming gesture.

"Sorry, was my Lord here?" Ginny said, walking over to the tall ladies.

"Yes." Marlene said. "He, Daphne, Hermione and Pansy Parkinson went to the library early to work on a project I assigned."

"Oh, thank you." Ginny said and looked around quickly, the rest of the students were filling the room. She decided not to ask anything else, as it might lead to other questions, and allowed Luna to pull her to one of the tables where they sat side-by-side.

Mrs. Norwood spoke a few more words to her friend and walked to the door just as the bell rang to signal the beginning of the class. She closed the door and waited at the back of the class.

Marlene stood at the front of the class, Spear in hand. "Welcome everyone, to fourth year Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am Lady McKinnon and the Spear of the Light." She held the Spear forward and it grew too bright to look at, flooding the room with it's magic.

Ginny held tightly to Luna's hand as the light washed over them. She felt warm and safe within the intense magic and couldn't help but grin broadly.

"The Spear seeks those who wish to perform evil deeds. You feel just a taste of its power now. I am pleased to see that none of you are trembling. Though some look a bit ill, take that as a warning. You have less-than good intentions. I will not tolerate those who go too far. I have the authority and the right to stop you."

About half of the Ravenclaws had their hands up. Mrs. Norwood clapped her hands together once to get their attention. "We will not be discussing the Spear in this class. It is a unique magical item, one of three prominent under the Light. Look them up in the library if you wish." The Hit Witch said.

"This is Valerie Norwood." Marlene said. "She works for the DMLE as a Special Investigator. You may address her as Professor Norwood, or Investigator Norwood. As a Special Investigator, she has a team of six Aurors who are under her command and reports directly to Madam Bones. She assigns them tasks. Those of you familiar with the muggle world would call her a Detective."

"We will be splitting this class between us." Valerie said, moving to stand beside her friend. "The first half of this year will be spent verifying you are on track for the practical portion of your OWLS. That means spells. There are forty seven required spells." She gestured at the board and a long list of names appeared. "In addition there are six spells that are recommended, and three that are optional, but will garner you extra points."

Another gesture filled in the remaining space on the board. "Of these, sixteen are taught in fifth year. This leaves us with forty spells you should know by the end of this year. We'll go through all of them before the holiday break. That will leave us the remainder of the year to work on the theory part of the preparation. Please note that does not mean you will cease to cast spells. There will be tests and exercises that are designed to hone your abilities with the spells."

"Wow," Luna said in a soft whisper, her eyes intently focused on the teacher.

"Like a real class isn't it?" Ginny said, not quite sure if that was what her friend intended.

The return grin gave her the answer to that mystery.

"After the holiday break I will take lead in your instructions." Marlene said. "We will form into four teams. You will learn how to fight together, working with your partners. Each team will have at least one member of the other house. We will not determine these teams until we return from break. You will hear from the upper classes that this is already starting. Yes, it is, but that is because they have had more years of poor instruction and we need to push them to be ready for their NEWTS."

The mixed class of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor remained quiet, most of them taking notes.

"There will be awards at the end of the year. Each team will earn gold from my own vault. First place will receive 5,000 galleons per member, 4,000 for second, 3,000 for third and 1,000 for fourth place. This is for each person on those teams. Upper years will receive higher amounts, you may not see this as fair, but it is scaled to properly motivate you."

The students had all frozen at the mention of galleons. Professor Norwood called their attention by clapping her hands again. "We'll begin with Protego."

At the end of the period Lady McKinnon moved to stand beside Luna. "Students, pay attention to this." She said and gently lay her hand upon Luna's shoulder. "Miss Lovegood was placed in my care by her father before he departed on a long journey. She is my Ward. I will not tolerate her being endangered, bullied, or threatened."

Smiling, Luna looked up at the tall woman.

"I must also inform you that Daphne Greengrass, has extended the protection of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black to my ward."

This brought stunned silence to the room.

"You should be aware that Lord Potter was designated the Heir to House Black this summer, and Miss Greengrass is his betrothed for that family, so she is well within her right. Spread the word to your house-mates."

"Alright class." Mrs. Norwood said to get their attention again. "That was some good practice with Protego. Those of you still struggling, come see me after class. We will work on the spell later this week as well, but will move on to the Stunning spell next week. Dismissed!"

}-{

Hermione was not happy with their progress in the library and everyone agreed to meet again after dinner to continue. After lunch, during which they noticed Marlene was not present, they headed off to Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.

"Welcome back." She said. "This year we will focus on preparation for the OWL exams. Some of this material is the hardest you will ever learn, but once you to the following two years are much easier as they build upon it. Today you will review the spells from last year."

Harry groaned, he hated review.

"Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass, please come forward." The professor called, looking at Harry instead of his ladies.

Once the witches were before their teacher, she addressed the class. "Many of you may not know this, but these are the two best Transfiguration students in your year. Ladies, demonstrate the spells we learned last year."

Daphne drew her wand, and stepped up onto the teachers platform, Hermione followed and they shared a brief conversation.

The blackboard was quickly transfigured into a dancing, eight piece, tea set while the chair changed into a tap dancing hedgehog, complete with miniature top hat, cane and patent leather shoes.

"Stop!" McGonagall called and knelt to pick up one of the eight teacups, she held it up and they noticed it didn't have a handle and was covered in a deep blue floral pattern. "As I've said on many occasions, ones skill with transfiguration is in the mind's ability to envision the details of the object in question. If I'm not mistaken this is actually a Chinese set?"

"Yes, Professor." Hermione said, looking nervous and unsure if that was acceptable.

"You're well within the parameters of the requirement Miss Granger. Tea set does not designate the country of origin. A lovely set." She added and placed the cup back on the ground.

She then levitated the hedgehog into the air and inspected it carefully. "Excellently done Miss Greengrass, the details on the feet and belly are impressive. Most transfiguration falls apart when one inspects those parts that are not usually seen. In this case even the bottom of the feet are appropriately detailed."

The animal was lowered back to the ground.

"You may resume ladies." The professor said and walked off to the side of the room.

When the demonstration was done Professor McGonagall resumed her lecture. "As I expected, both of you would receive an outstanding grade on your OWL. The rest of you must get close to their results to score similarly. Now we'll start with the Hedgehog spell, remember it does not need to be dancing, just appear alive and include sufficient details."

}-{

When they entered their suite that night, Marlene was already there. Standing just inside the bedroom, she was clutching her hands together and biting her lower lip.

"What's wrong Lene?" Harry asked and pulled her into a hug. She was still a bit taller than he, especially with her heeled boots on. But that just gave him a better appreciation of her stunning figure.

She returned his hug and let out a soft sigh. "Sorry." She said as he pulled back. "I've got some news, and it may not be entirely welcome."

"What happened?" Daphne asked.

Marlene took a deep breath before speaking. "This morning, before classes, Madam Flamel stopped into my office. She told me that I'm pregnant. I went and had it confirmed at St. Mungo's during lunch."

Hermione squealed and pounced on the surprised witch. She hugged her and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Daphne was right behind her, pulling both of them into her arms and planting a kiss on their cheeks.

Harry stood slack-jawed. His brain entirely incapable of producing a worthwhile thought. Then he was pulled into a group hug and his hind-brain took over. Surrounded by his witches, and their exuberance, their clothes quickly fell to the floor and as one they moved onto the large bed.

The younger witches made sure Marlene was the one to land on her back, with Harry atop her. It didn't take more than a few seconds to have him buried deeply inside her cunt. She sighed and moved to pull her legs even wider, but the girls took them and hooked her ankles over their shoulders. Seconds later they were latched onto her nipples.

"Oh Merlin, you girls are incredible." She husked and her hands went to the backs of their heads. "You're going to be sampling my milk long before my child is born."

The younger witches attached to her moaned appreciatively as their hands skimmed over her stomach.

Harry rose on his arms over them and promptly took advantage of the added depth her splayed legs afforded. He was not rough, instead keeping a slow, steady pace that was quickly driving her mad.

"My witches." He said in a rough voice. "Mine." He repeated, thrusting into the elder witch with greater force.

"Yours." Marlene said, the only witch with her mouth un-occupied at the moment. Being able to feel these emotions after so long denying herself was utterly freeing. She'd thought about concealing her pregnancy with glamours, but decided then and there to leave that up to her Consort.

He slowed his pace, wanting to extend his endurance for her. He bent down and captured her lips with his. Then he retreated into his Occlumency and forced his body to keep the pace, without climaxing, for almost twenty minutes. She was swept away by the incessant pounding. Finally his resolve was at its limit and he erupted deep in her womb.

The girls released her legs and distended nipples. "I can't wait to taste your milk Lene." Daphne husked and captured her aunt's mouth in a heated kiss.

Hermione dove in the opposite direction, capturing Harry's emerging cock in her mouth and quickly licking him clean. By the time Daphne and Marlene had finished their heated kiss she was lapping at Lene's nether lips and greedily swallowing everything she found.

Daphne summoned her wand from the floor and hit Harry with an enervate spell. "Mine next." She said and gave the brunette's ass a light slap where it stuck up in the air.

Hermione wiggled her bum and knee-walked it in his direction, while she continued to perform cunninglus to the best of her non-parseltongue-ability. Her skill was well evident as Marlene bucked her pelvis up in the air, fucking Hermione's tongue as she loudly reached her peak.

He slid into his first friend's sheath in a single thrust. She was nearly forced to relinquish her link to Marlene's cunt but managed to stay in position. He remained motionless for a moment, relishing in the feeling, before slowly pulling back and thrusting forward. He deliberately went slow, trying to make this last.

The health potions he'd been taking for over a month now, and the continual exercise, had drastically altered his physique. Where he'd been short but deceptively strong from Quidditch, he was now nearly six inches taller and had gained more than thirty pounds, all of it muscle. This allowed him to attempt to please all three of his witches, he'd be damned if he passed out leaving one of them lacking.

Marlene shuddered again under Hermione and then was squirming away, the brunette genius sucked hard on her clit, stretching it out, before it slipped free of her lips. "Too much." The Hit Witch said and rolled away.

"No fair." Hermione breathed, looking longingly at the woman's fine ass, now out of her reach.

Daphne laughed and took her aunt's place in front of Hermione. "It's alright love, you can have my cunt."

"Oh, goodie!"

Harry sped his pace, making the brunette under him grow quiet, but she quickly lowered her mouth to the glistening folds before her.

Daphne's fingers slipped into Hermione's curled hair and pressed herself firmly into her mouth. "Oh, yes, you wicked witch. Fuck her Harry."

He laughed softly, that was precisely what he was doing, though much gentler than when he'd taken her ass the previous night.

Marlene sat up and grinned at the trio for a moment, then rose to her knees and with a gentle hand turned Harry's head so she could kiss him.

He nearly forgot to move, lost in the intensity of the kiss he received. But his hind-brain managed to keep his cock moving. What had he done to deserve such love and affection from these witches? Regardless he'd do his damnedest to keep them happy.

Hermione shattered around him a moment later and he once again faltered but managed to continue his thrusts.

"Thank you Lene." He whispered into her mouth when they pulled apart to breathe.

She smiled against his lips and kissed him again before replying. "I'm glad you're happy about this."

"Of course." He said with a quick peck to her nose before claiming her mouth once again.

Daphne was shaking as she reached her peak and Hermione managed another minute on her cunt before pulling away, clearly exhausted from her efforts.

The sight of Daphne's swollen clit, and her blissful expression, triggered his release and he flooded Hermione's cunt.

When he stopped moving Marlene helped him lay on his back before claiming his cock with her mouth to clean and get him ready again. His hand found her folds and three fingers slid inside her tight sheath. She shoved herself back against him and he twisted his hand to get his thumb on her clit.

He could feel someone moving on the bed, but his head seemed too heavy to managed to lift it to follow what was happening. Hermione's contented groan told him that Daphne had shifted to perform cunninglus on the brilliant witch.

When he was hard again he sat up, not willing to just lie there. Daphne was in front of him mirroring Hermione's position from minutes ago. It was too similar to the previous night when he'd ravaged her ass. He pulled her away from Hermione by her hips and then turned her around to face him.

Her eyes were glazed over in lust and she had Hermione's honey all over her lips. He kissed her and settled her on her back in front of him. He lowered his head to capture one of her peaks in his mouth, flicking the hard bud with the tip of his tongue.

She groaned and squirmed, but seemed content to accept his attention.

Harry pulled back and then kissed is way across the deep valley between her breasts to capture the other peak. He stayed there for a bit longer, until she seemed completely relaxed. Cradling her head with his hands, made it a bit hard to get his cock into her, but she twisted just right and he found her core.

Daphne's sheath tightened around him as she did something and he groaned into her mouth. She grinned but merely repeated the strange contraction around him and thrust her hips upwards.

He couldn't pull his eyes from hers as he was still holding the back of her head with both of his hands. She looked into his emerald orbs, without any of her usual aloofness or indifference. Her soul completely open, her magic entirely entwined with his as her body was perfectly enveloping him. This was his deadly angel and he'd gladly spend the rest of his life trying to make her look at him like this.

Her eyes fluttered and her hips hesitated. "Love you." She breathed out and froze as she came undone.

"Daph." He managed to say and filled her tight tunnel with his seed. Lying atop her as they both came down from their peak he whispered, "Love you too," and pressed a gentle kiss to her porcelain cheek.

}-{

They woke at six the next morning, all cocooned in the large bed. "Morning." Harry called into the room, eyes still closed.

"Morning." Marlene said from behind him, that made sense as the pressure against his shoulders was greater than the younger ladies caused.

He caressed her thigh, where the leg was crossed over his.

"Would you prefer I hide my pregnancy with glamours? I'd prefer to let everyone know, but want your thoughts on it." She said when no one else answered his greetings.

The brunette in his arms twitched, telling him she had heard what Marlene just asked. He chose to allow her to pretend.

"I think we should do as you wish." He said, turning as far as he could to press a light kiss to the Hit Witches lips.

"Thank you Harry." She said and planted a kiss to his cheek before twisting and climbing from the bed.

"Lene!" Daphne cried, having just had her aunt roll over her to get to the side of the bed.

"Don't pretend you were sleeping Daph." Her aunt said, half-way to the loo. "Anyone joining me in the shower?" she called as she flipped the light on.

This caused a scrambling rush to the shower, even for the 'asleep' Hermione.

Half an hour later as they finished dressing Hermione grew serious. "We need to have a meeting with the Headmaster. I want to discuss the Horcruxes Riddle made and what we're planning on doing about them."

"Alright, I'll make an appointment with him. Do you want anyone else there?" Marlene asked.

"Neville and Susan." Harry said.

"How about Valerie?" Daphne asked.

"Sure." Hermione said, agreeing with both suggestions.

"I'll let you know." Marlene said and picked up the Spear of the Light before heading down the stairs to her suite.

A few minutes later the morning's Prophet had them scowling.

 **Bellatrix Lestrange escapes from Azkaban!**

Below the title was an old photo of the insane witch grinning and laughing at the camera. The body of the article was fairly short and uninformative.

Not much is known about how she escaped. She was reportedly seen when dinner was delivered to her cell the night of September 1st, but was missing the following morning. The cell was still sealed and even contained a pile of clothes on the bed. Did she vanish in her sleep? Did someone free her? Why now?

The Crimes of Bellatrix. – Page 14 – 16.

Once thought perfect, how have three criminals now escaped Azkaban? – Page 18.

Amelia Bones speaks of re-instating the Veil and closing Azkaban. – Page 34.

"Hey Longbottom?" Malfoy said from the other side of the table. "Aunt Bella's out. I'm sure she'd enjoy finishing what she started." He laughed and walked away before anyone could reply.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Pansy had awoken earlier than usual. She was growing increasingly confused and thus concerned as to what she should do. Her parents had long signed a contract, betrothing her to Draco, but she was entitled to bear children for her line, not his. That meant he had to have another for his own line first. And yet there continued to be no prospect for that woman.

Draco had always hinted that it would be the Ice Bitch herself, though his bragging had led to a duel in which she'd removed his tongue. He bore the scar from that across the base of his tongue to this day. And that had been the end of that topic.

He'd mentioned his mother was working on it, perhaps a contract with someone from the continent? She shook her head, it didn't matter, but it did. She'd found her contract advantageous in the past, but now it no longer seemed so.

The Dark Lord had returned. She'd been taken to a meeting over the summer by her parents. The introduction had made her want to flee to the other side of the world. What kind of monster was this that everyone served? He didn't even have a nose!

The fact that the fabled Ice Bitch was clearly taken by none other than the Boy-who-lived had her re-thinking her options. She couldn't get into his bed obviously, he'd mentioned he was done, and the fact that he had two wives and was a consort, ended her thought along that line. But with Ice Bitch, and McKinnon clearly on his side, could the Dark triumph?

She was really thinking it couldn't happen. When Potter was a baby he'd somehow defeated the Dark Lord. And he'd survived the encounter in the graveyard as well, something she'd heard Draco recount often enough to determine that it wasn't mere luck that had allowed Potter to return with Diggory's body and the tale.

And that wasn't even mentioning Dumbledore, the man was three times the age of the Dark Lord and his power seemed undimmed.

She'd walk as close to grey as she could for the rest of this year. Meanwhile she'd gather knowledge from both sides. Suddenly her position on Potter's team didn't seem nearly as bad as she'd initially thought.

Perhaps if she warned Ice Bitch about Blaise cozying up to Davis? Well, she wouldn't believe her unless she came clean on why. But a secret once spoken is no longer secret. She sighed and pulled her curtains back. She had to gain favor with Ice Bitch, so her shame would be the price.

}-{

"Wormtail!"

"Yes, my lord." Peter said immediately and scurried to kneel before the throne.

"Why has my Bella escaped before our attack upon Azkaban? I instructed you to pass word to all of them that I was coming."

"Yes, my lord. I did so. She was most pleased and did not stop laughing."

"Then where has she gone?" the hissing voice grew impatient.

"I don't know my lord!" Wormtail said, bearing his left arm and presenting it to his master.

The Yew wand was quick to connect to the Dark Mark. Pain shot through the cowardly man, but he kept his arm where it was, knowing it would be much worse should he flinch away.

"She just snuck into Bones Manor. Why is she there? Gather everyone, we must move now!" he bellowed, surging to his feet.

Peter fell to the ground, curling into a tight ball as the Dark Lords magic flooded the chamber.

}-{

"Good evening everyone." The Headmaster said as the group filed into his office. "I've asked the elves to serve us dinner here so we might have more time to speak."

"Thank you Headmaster." Harry said and moved to pull out Daphne's chair at the table that now occupied most of the office.

A ruby-red light suddenly pulsed from the mantle, immediately echoed by the white light from The Spear of the Light. Marlene strode quickly across the room. She stopped a few feet from the sword of Godric Gryffindor and the light emanating from the large ruby in its pommel grew steadily brighter.

"Headmaster." Severus Snape said as he entered the office and closed the door. He was clutching his left arm and scowling in obvious pain.

"I must depart for the night and will return when I am able." The Potions Master said. He didn't wait for an answer, instead hurried to the fireplace, brushed past McKinnon, and flooed to Spinners End.

"What's that Lady McKinnon?" Harry asked, being fairly formal in front of those who did not know he was her consort.

"Headmaster?" Lady McKinnon said, instead of answering him.

"Yes?"

"Why do you have custody of Lord Potter's family blade?" the Hit Witch asked in a too-calm voice.

The aged mage jerked as though struck across the face and turned pale. "Could it be?" he said in a breathless-whisper.

Fawkes crowed a warm note that encouraged them.

"There can be no doubt." She said, pointing to the ruby and its light.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, walking to the mantle.

"My Lord Potter." She said. "There are three artifacts of the light. My family has always wielded this staff, which we call the Spear of the Light. Your family bore this blade, known as the Sword of Hope, for without hope even the greatest will fail. The third item resides with Lady Bones." She gestured to Susan who stood tightly against Neville's side a dozen feet away.

"What?" Susan said, looking around as though for someone else to be the recipient of the gesture.

"Merlin." Marlene said in exasperation. "I understand how Lord Potter could be ignorant of this, but Madam Bones has surely instructed you in your family's legacy?"

Susan shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"We shall address that next." Marlene said, turning back to Harry.

"I thought you said he drew the sword from the Sorting Hat, because he was a true Gryffindor?" Hermione asked the Headmaster.

"Yes, indeed." He said, nodding. "It has Godric's name on it." He added as though that explained everything.

"If you meant a true member of the Gryffindor house here at Hogwarts, no. If instead you meant the blood in his veins, then certainly." Valerie Norwood said.

"Yes," Daphne said. "It is well known that Peverell became Gryffindor and Gryffindor became Potter."

"Though this blade now bears Godric's name, it did not initially." Marlene said, "The ruby is linked to the diamond in The Spear. As they are both linked to the Sapphire in the Bulwark. Godric may have reforged it with the assistance of Merlin who originally entrusted us with them."

"Lady McKinnon?" Susan asked with a trembling voice. "The Bulwark you mentioned, is that a great shield?"

Marlene nodded, "Precisely. It was about four feet around, bronze with a large sapphire in its face."

"Yes, I know where that is." She said. "But I didn't know it was anything of import." She shrugged. "My aunt hasn't told me anything about it, and everyone else died when I was little."

Neville put a comforting arm around Susan's shoulder and she smiled at him.

"We shall contact your aunt directly and meet with her. It is imperative that the two of you understand these artifacts and their abilities." Lady McKinnon said.

"Can I?" Harry asked, his hand poised to take the sword from the stand on the mantle.

"I wouldn't advise it." Dumbledore said.

Hermione and Daphne rounded on him, eerily mirroring one another as they stepped closer to the Headmaster and between him and Harry.

"Ladies." Marlene said and they paused, mid-step.

"Why didn't it light up in second year?" Harry asked.

"Because you were not then Lord Potter." Marlene said. "Yes, take up your birth-right." She said firmly and gave him a soft pat on the shoulder.

He didn't need any further prompting, taking a half-step forward his hand closed around the hilt. The ruby flooded the room with its light, and was echoed by the white light from The Spear.

"Hope." Harry said, lifting the blade. For in fact the ruby light had buoyed their spirits tremendously.

By the time the dual light faded, everyone in the chamber was smiling uncontrollably.

"Wow, that's incredible." Mrs. Norwood said, collapsing in one of the chairs.

"Indeed." The Headmaster said, and removed his spectacles to clean them.

"Look!" Harry exclaimed, pointing with his free hand at the blade in his other.

The sword had changed, growing slightly longer and thinner, the elaborate wording along the blade was gone, replaced by a serviceable length of mithril. The grip and guard had similarly changed, losing all of the fancy scrollwork. But the ruby remained and was now seen to be of similar size to the diamond atop The Spear.

"It was hidden by a glamour!" Hermione said, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Of course. The best place to hide something is in plain sight!"

}-{

Bellatrix didn't remember how she got out of the prison. One minute she was giggling about killing again, when her Master freed her in a few days, and the next she was nude and crawling from the sea. The cold didn't seem to bother her, and it was night, so she just kept moving. Not sure where she was going or particularly caring either.

There were muggles infecting the whole of the land, and all needed to be exterminated.

She found a hunters cabin, her wandless magic was weak, but it served to unlock the door where she found food and a bed to collapse into once her appetite was sated.

She woke some time later, ate her fill again and resumed her journey south. She knew she had to avoid anyone magical, they would try to stop her again. What they would do wasn't something she really concerned herself with. Though she felt a pressing need to keep moving as though something or someone was just out of sight behind her.

Towards evening she stumbled across the ruins of a tower. Scurrying inside she found a tunnel covered by dead branches. They bit her bare skin, but she didn't care. If someone had concealed the entrance, there was something worth hiding within.

It was dark, and cool. Neither bothered the infamous witch. She had long become immune to either state. Instead she focused on her hearing, there was noise ahead.

The noise resolved itself into water, which fell from a grate above into the tunnel and then proceeded to deepen as the tunnel slowly descended into the earth.

She walked right into it, reaching the point where she had to swim in moments. Then the ceiling vanished and she was inside a small chamber, on the far side was a platform with a closed door. There was the reason the tunnel had been covered.

With a mad giggle she pulled herself onto the ledge by the door. Cackling she again used her wandless charm to unlock the iron-bound door.

The door popped open, revealing a narrow staircase that spiraled upwards.

Barely containing her need to laugh, she stepped inside and closed the door. She paused, listening to see if her entrance had been noted. Nothing moved or disturbed the peace so she padded softly up the stone stairs, leaving a wet trail behind her.

She was in some dust-filled passages that were narrow. Occasionally she found small holes in the wall, peeking through one she saw a large dining hall. No one was present but it was certainly not abandoned. The room looked well cared for and there were even floating candles around the chamber.

With a soft giggle she abandoned that viewpoint and continued along the passage. Reaching an intersection she paused, a faint sound of conversation came from in front of her so she chose the one that went upwards.

Just as she trod on the first of the steps everything shook. She heard a woman yell in the distance, echoed by several others.

She hastened along in the general direction of the yelling, passing several concealed doors as she did. None of them would lead to her prey.

}-{

"Now that Lord Potter has his blade, let us turn our attention to the Lady Bones." Lady McKinnon said.

"What about a scabbard?" Hermione asked, looking at the sharp sword her lover held.

"I've got that." The Sorting hat said from a tall shelf.

Daphne stepped up on a chair and lifted the hat down. Holding it flat on her palms she presented it to Harry.

"Well?" the hat said. "You going to take it?"

"Oh." Harry said and put his other hand into the hat. Immediately a weight landed in his palm and he grabbed it tightly. Moments later he pulled out a wood and leather scabbard, belted to wear over the shoulder.

Daphne returned the hat to its perch, then helped Hermione belt the unfamiliar thing to Harry's waist and torso.

Hermione had to help him get the tip of the sword into the mouth of the sheath but then it slid home, a perfect fit.

"Now." Marlene said, pulling a small mirror from her robes. "Madam Bones!" she called into it a moment later.

There was a long pause then a crashing noise came through the mirror. "McKinnon? Floos down, nothing is getting through. I'm at Bones Manor, we're under attack by You-Know-Who!"

"What?" it seemed everyone shouted.

"We're coming!" Marlene shouted into the mirror and looked around.

"Fawkes?" the Headmaster asked, leaping to his feet.

The Phoenix flew into the middle of the room, his tail magically elongating.

"Mr. Longbottom, go to the infirmary and tell them we may have injured soon. I shall not deny Lady Bones the right to defend her home."

"Sure." Neville said and scrambled to the door and out into the school.

"Everyone grab a bit of tail." Dumbledore said with a broad grin threatening to overwhelm his face.

As soon as the last of them had a feather in hand they vanished in a flash of flame.

}-{

Bellatrix was lost. She should have taken one of the doors further back, but the fighting was just on the other side of this wall!

"Master!" she called, feeling his presence in this direction and pushing futilely against the solid stone.

Her flailing hands found an iron rung, extruded from the wall. She pulled on it, only to lift herself. Her foot found purchase on a lower one and she determined it was a ladder. Up she scrambled, maybe there was a way over this cursed wall.

Her head slammed into the ceiling and she just managed to hold on with one hand as both of her feet and her other hand lost purchase. Her head was full of stars.

She hung there, some distance from the floor, for almost too long as she tried to focus again. Her other hand finally closed on the top rung and she got her feet on one. She panted there, trying to focus again, but her brain was completely addled, long enough for the fighting to move further away and leave her in silence.

There must be a latch above her, she finally determined. Running her hand along the ceiling, she discovered it wasn't stone, but wood, with iron bands. There, a latch. She pulled on it and nothing happened.

Then she remembered her unlocking charm and was rewarded by a grating click over her head that rained rust atop her.

Ignoring that she pushed up and had to try again with far more force. She was rewarded by the first light she'd seen in ages.

Bellatrix crawled up and lay panting on the dirty floor. Her arms and legs, unused to such labor, were shaking and she simply had to lie still for a moment. She was outside, a large bell hung a few feet away from her with a chain descending through a slit in the floor.

Bells meant nothing except they were part of her name. She reached over and patted the large object before crawling to find where the fighting was.

There. Her eyes lit in fascination as her Lord stood in battle. Then she realized it was with Dumbledore and she cringed back into the shadows.

Below her, too damned far below her, was a courtyard. Albus freaking Dumbledore was there, Phoenix on his shoulder, as her Master threw everything she knew and more at him. It did no good, the old man seemed to be determined to talk.

She was too far to hear him, but it was obvious the man was crazy if he thought now was a good time to discuss the weather!

Hmm, she thought. Bit cloudy, but the full moon was very bright.

There was more fighting from the other side of the tower, but she couldn't see it so she crawled out onto the tile roof. There, a tall woman held a staff up, damn that was too bright! Oh and there was another woman with a staff.

Pity Bella hadn't found her wand yet or she'd drop a bunch of summoned rocks on their heads. She lay there cackling about the imagined carnage as the group below her fought. Just who were they fighting?

The second woman, with the not-bright-light went down under a swarm of the creatures.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and clapped, it was werewolves. She loved the mayhem they got up to. But clapping was apparently a bad thing, she slid off the edge of the tile roof and landed hard on a lower one.

With the breath knocked from her and more stars floating in front of her eyes she couldn't manage to do anything as she slid down the tiles and slipped over the edge again. Expecting another hard impact she was surprised to land in water.

Sputtering and trying to keep her head up she was swept away down the stream as her Master called her name. But the water was moving too fast and she was both weak and confused.

}-{

Fawkes deposited them in the Great Hall of Bones Manor. His tail shrunk and he flew to Dumbledore's shoulder. Without a word the Headmaster strode out into the main hall, through the open double doors.

"There's the Bulwark." Susan said, pointing to the opposite end of the hall, before twisting to look where the Headmaster had gone and bite her lip.

"You three, help her get it down. That stays with you from now on." Marlene said. "I'll locate Madam Bones."

"And I guess I'll guard your back as usual." Valerie said, hot on her heels as she summoned her own staff.

Dozens of howls came from somewhere in the distance.

"Werewolves." Daphne growled, wand held tightly at-the-ready.

There was a rumble in the distance, and the faint sound of a high-pitched giggle that sent a shiver down Harry's spine.

"I'll help Susan." He said. "The two of you figure out what we should do next."

The Bulwark was mounted about ten feet off the floor, above an ornate throne. The entire wall was covered with other shields, hammers, and a large collection of staffs. Near most of them was a small plaque, tarnished with age, but clearly with some description of the item in question. There was none by the large bronze shield.

Harry found a table off to the side, he and Susan carried it under the shield, then had to put a chair atop it in order to get high enough to reach it.

Susan looked terrified at the prospect of climbing their make-shift ladder.

"I'll get it." He said and promptly scurried onto the table, then after a moment's pause, the chair. He was then able to look behind it to see how it was attached. "It's just on a hook. We could have levitated it down." He said and lifted the bottom rim.

The shield was surprisingly light, and he nearly dropped it because he'd tried to use too much force.

A helping pair of hands suddenly pushed against the small of his back and he was able to regain his balance. Once he was stable the hands moved to his hips, maintaining some pressure to keep him from falling back.

With the face of the shield against his chest, and unable to see over the upper rim, he allowed the hands to guide him as he stepped backwards and slowly down to the table.

"Thanks." He said.

"Just tell your betrothed I didn't grope you please." Susan whispered from behind him, sounding fearful.

He found himself laughing, she joined in a moment later.

Once back on the ground he turned around, still unable to look over the top of the shield, and felt someone taking it from him so released his hold on it.

"Oh, it's light." Susan said.

"Yeah, that's why I almost fell." Harry said.

"Put the strap over your shoulder and around your body." Hermione said. "Yes, now put your left arm through the strap and into the gauntlet."

"Woah." Harry said, stepping back from the shield as magic infused it and pushed against him for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked, her eyes wide from just over the rim of the shield.

"Yes, fine. Just felt it, um… wake up I suppose." He said a moment later. "The gem isn't lit or pulsing like mine did." He added after looking at the sapphire imbedded in the boss in the center of the shield.

There was a loud crash from much nearer them and they all jumped.

"Come!" Daphne called near the main hallway as she drew her Mogness blade from her tall boot.

They hurried to her, but she only waited to see they were moving towards her before slowly walking out into the hall. Harry ran until he was just beside her but didn't have time to say anything as two wizards in black robes and masks came around the corner about twenty feet in front of them. The one on their left was dragging a figure in the red robes of an Auror by its short brown hair.

Harry had no time to think about what to do as Daphne sent a piercing hex at the man on the left and sprinted directly towards him. Again Harry found himself running to keep up with his betrothed.

The Death Eater was caught by surprise, but her aim was off, so he took the spell in his shoulder instead of the middle of his chest. The taller one on the right bellowed "Avada Kedavra!" and the green light streaked towards Harry.

He only had enough time to duck into a roll, but his long-practiced move from this summer was spoiled by the sword strapped to his back. Instead of flipping and coming back up to his feet he was jerked off to the side when the large ruby hit the floor and shoved him in the other direction.

A gong-like sound came from back down the hall along with a muffled feminine squeal.

The man laughed at Harry as he sprawled on the floor, stepping closer he pointed his wand at the boy's heaving chest. "Ava—"

He was cut off when the tip of a blue line of fire wrapped around his neck and jerked him forward.

Then Daphne was hovering over Harry, bloody knife in her left hand. "Harry!" she called, putting the blade on the floor beside him to grab his shoulder.

"Yeah." He said and tried to get up.

A very pale Hermione arrived on his other side, her arm going around him to bodily lift him back to his feet.

"Dizzy, give me a minute." He said, closing his eyes. His wand was pressed into his hand a moment later, he hadn't even realized he'd lost it in his fall.

"What was that?" Daphne asked him.

"Tried to roll under the curse, forgot about the sword." He managed to say and opened his eyes again. "Everyone alright?"

"Susan's a bit dazed." Hermione said.

"No, I'm good." The Hufflepuff said, stepping beside them, shield at the ready, though she looked a bit green.

Harry was quite pleased that this Hufflepuff Heiress wasn't cowering and instead seemed as ready to fight as the rest of them. _Yeah, duffers the lot eh?_ He thought.

Daphne looked at him, puzzled for a moment, then shrugged off her question. "These two are dead. Good flame whip Mine."

Hermione merely nodded and took a step away from Harry who now seemed able to stand on his own. "Let me check the Auror."

Daphne knelt to pick up her blade and joined their brunette companion, casting a quick cleaning charm on the blade.

The Auror turned out to be a woman, her robe was cut open to her waist, revealing both of her pert breasts. Much of her torso was red, though her only visible wounds were on her head. It looked like her nose was broken, blood from it covered much of her face, and her left eye was swollen shut.

"She's breathing." Hermione said a moment later then cast a healing spell at her broken nose. The blood vanished as the nose straightened with a crunching noise. A second spell at her eye greatly reduced the swelling.

"It's Nym." Harry said. "What did they do to her?"

"The diagnostic spell doesn't show any more bleeding." Hermione said, casting another spell to mend her robe. "But she was beaten pretty badly.

"She must have been with my Aunt's guards." Susan said, biting her lower lip again in concern.

"Why were they dragging her with them?" Harry asked.

"Ennervate." Hermione cast at the Aurors' chest.

Nymphadora woke gasping and jerked to the side before lying still and groaning.

"Where does it hurt Miss Tonks?" Hermione asked.

"All D— damned… over." She stuttered.

"Can you walk?" Harry asked and touched her hand.

The Auror let out a muffled scream and twisted away from him.

"She's been hit with the pain curse." Susan said softly. "Every nerve is thousands of times more sensitive."

"Can you levitate her with us?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I'll do it." Susan said. "Seems, I'm rear guard anyway." A quick Winguardiam Leviosa later and Nymphadora Tonks was floating two feet off the ground.

"What are you… lot. D— doing here?" the floating woman asked, her eyes tightly closed.

"Came with Dumbledore to rescue Madam Bones." Hermione said. "Though we got separated."

"Do you know where my aunt is?" Susan asked.

Nymphadora's eyes shot open and she tried to talk but it just came out as a series of slurred syllables.

"Where?" Daphne said in her calm, cold, voice. "You're in no shape to fight and you've lost your wand."

The witch groaned in frustration and twitched but her arm pointed up. "Stud… dy."

"That's one of the most secure rooms in the manor." Susan said, hiking the shield up further on her arm.

"Alright, up it is." Harry said.

Ten tense minutes later they arrived on the fourth floor where Madam Bones study was located. There were two dead male Aurors at the door, the rest of the room was in shambles. Though there was blood about the room, there was no sign of Susan's Aunt.

"Ugh, what am I thinking." Susan said. "Mipp!"

"Mistress Bones." An elf squeaked from the middle of the room.

The little elf looked very distressed and was pulling on her ears.

"Where's my aunt?"

The elf closed her eyes a moment. "Madam is outside, near the Griffon stables miss."

"Griffons?" Harry asked.

"Are there any enemies inside the house?" Daphne asked.

The elf nodded sharply. "Furry mens is looting." She said, hopping from foot to foot.

"Stop them." Susan ordered. "Stun them, kill them. I don't care." She added.

The elf popped away.

"Alright, back downstairs." Daphne said.

"Wan…d…" Nymphadora said, reaching towards the carpet.

Hermione found the woman's wand lying under a chair and put it in her hand, but otherwise tried not to touch her.

"Wait, just a minute." Susan said and opened a cabinet that had been knocked over. She pulled out a pair of potions vials and slipped them into the pockets of her robe. "Blood replenisher, I don't know if we have any anti-cruciatus potions."

"Harry, that sword killed a basilisk right?" Daphne asked when they reached the main stairs.

"Yes."

"Use it on the werewolves. Mine, if you'll summon silver spikes as fast as you can, I'll banish them." She said.

"Sure." Hermione said.

"Alright." He answered and moved his wand to his left hand. He couldn't do much more than cast a shield charm left-handed, but that would have to do.

There was fighting down the second floor hallway. Mipp seemed to be just holding her own against three werewolves.

They saw the teens and charged them with a snarl.

"Mine!" Daphne called and a long silver spike appeared in front of them. The blonde witch banished it as a second one appeared. The werewolf dodged, though the spike grazed its haunch.

Just before it pounced on them Susan shoved her way to the front, head ducked tightly behind the shield.

The werewolf hit the shield, and instead of knocking the ginger teen on her bum the creature fell backwards howling in pain.

Harry darted forward, burying the Sword of Hope in its ribcage when it landed on its back. The creature howled as blood poured from the wound and its mouth. It twisted, trying to get on its feet but was still a moment later.

Daphne's second spike banishing was more accurate and it went through the skull of the second werewolf.

The third one was down, and still, in the middle of the hall with Mipp standing on its back.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this shield thing." Susan said as she threw her thick-ginger plait over her shoulder.

A tortured groan from behind them reminded them of Miss Tonks, who was now lying on the stairs about to slip from the landing.

"Damn." Susan said, quickly levitating the Auror. "Sorry, I forgot to concentrate on the spell."

"House be empty Mistress." Mipp said.

"Thank you. Keep them out." Susan said.

Then they were outside and the fighting seemed to be over, dead and dying werewolves littered the front lawn, a burned pile was off to the east near the stables.

"Here." Someone called from that direction.

They arrived to find Marlene tending to Mrs. Norwood while to Aurors lay behind them in the Griffon stable, though there didn't seem to be any Griffons present. Madam Bones was on one knee, her right arm was mangled and bloody a gash went down the same side of her face, from her temple to her chin.

Valerie was sitting up against a post, clutching the top half of her staff, it had been snapped about two feet down from the gem. She'd apparently been using it as a club as the head was covered in blood.

"Lene." Harry said in a pained voice as they arrived. "Are you hurt?"

"No." She said, not looking up from casting a spell on one of Valerie's wounds.

"The wound cleaner?" Hermione said, kneeling beside the Hit Witches.

"Got bit." Mrs. Norwood said, gesturing to the bite mark on her left arm.

"Auntie!" Susan said, slinging the shield on her back and pulling the blood replenisher potions from her robe.

Behind her came a thump and groan. The heiress of the Ancient and Noble House of Bones, ignored it.

"Sue?" Madam Bones said slowly.

"Drink." Susan said, uncorking one of the potions and helping her aunt drink it down.

Daphne took a guard position once she was satisfied that her aunt seemed alright.

Harry checked on the Aurors, one was clearly dead, his arm having been ripped off. The other looked mostly un-injured until he saw the pool of blood behind him and the hole in his back. He'd apparently been shoved back into the barn and landed on a pitchfork.

"Where's Renee?" Madam Bones asked after drinking both of the potions her niece opened for her and looking around.

"We found Nym." Harry said, gesturing to the Auror who seemed to be sleeping on the ground. "She's suffering from the Cruciatus. There were two dead men up in your study. Haven't seen any other Aurors."

"Mipp." Susan called and continued when the elf arrived. "Do you know where Auror Renee Wilson is?"

"No Mistress. She's not on the grounds."

"There were two dead in Auntie's study. Is there another who passed away on the grounds?" Susan pressed her elf.

"Only the two here Mistress." Mipp answered, clearly distressed she was unable to tell her Mistress the location of the person she was looking for.

"Alright thank you." Susan said. "Begin cleaning the manor."

There was a bright flash of fire and Dumbledore arrived via Fawkes. With him was the school healer who looked stunned by the scene presented to her.

"Here Poppy." Susan called, gesturing for the healer to join her by her aunt.

A dozen pops signaled the arrival of all three On-Call Auror teams.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Sirius Black had never been the type who planned things out. His whole life was a series of impulsive actions. So he figured he had no one else to blame for the failure of his current venture. After making that comment to Cissy about the Black sister trifecta he couldn't get the idea out of his head.

He was Lord Black, he could annul Bella's marriage. She'd kind of gone insane about the time her betrothal had been signed, perhaps it had been the cause? Well it was worth a try, if nothing else he would prevent her from fighting for the Dork Lord.

It had seemed so simple. He knew how to get out of Azkaban, so he just reversed the process.

Sneaking onto the island was fairly easy. He just apparated as close as he could, and swam the rest of the way as Padfoot. Since the Dementors ignored him. _He kept thinking I'm a dog searching for my bitch._ He only had to avoid the Aurors.

Since any Auror on Azkaban Island is being punished for something, they usually slacked off on their duties. He had a decade or so of experience with observing them, and had been proven right once again.

He pulled himself from the freezing North Sea onto the rocky island a quick shake and he was mostly dry.

Inside, upstairs, past open doors and wandering skeletons with rotting robes and he was back at the place he'd called home for far too long.

Bella was softly giggling in her cell. He quickly switched to his human form and stunned her. Then transfigured her into a six inch tall doll and levitated her to him, easily slipping through the bars.

He took a moment to fondle her tiny body, thinking of the fun he'd have once she was healed and healthy again.

The laugh that escaped his throat was completely involuntary, but jolted him back to reality. She was quickly transfigured into a black collar around his neck and he switched back to Padfoot. The collar seemed tight enough not to slip off, so he left the same way he'd entered.

It was about eleven at night when he reached the shore of England proper and decided to play a prank. Oh, who was he kidding, he just wanted to see her naked again.

So he turned her back into the little figurine, and then grew her to her usual size, dunked her in the water, then positioned her half-out of the water and enervated her from the edge of the woods.

As he suspected Bella didn't give her nudity a second thought and promptly bounced her way ashore and into the woods.

It was easy to follow her pale ass in the dark and he imagined the first time he would ram his cock into it with just-restrained glee. It was a good thing he couldn't giggle as a dog.

Just when he was getting bored, and truth-be-told, quite tired, she found a cabin. When she went inside, he decided it was too small for him to enter and remain concealed, so he waited in the woods.

He must have fallen asleep because the next he knew it was after noon and she was no longer in the cabin.

But fortunately his nose told him which way to go and he was off after his bitch.

He must have been sleeping far too long, or she'd left not long after he started, it was hours later when he finally caught up to her, well her trail had gone into the ruins of a tower. He circled the place, unable to tell if she'd come out this way and sat down to think.

About thirty minutes later, the sun had set, he heard a pack of wolves and hid in the woods as they streamed past him. Those were not normal wolves, they were weres. He spent several minutes cursing and then decided to follow them, he'd have to circle back for his bitch.

Then there was a tremendous clattering of wards falling and he ran in earnest. There were too many of them for him to safely fight. Then he came up with a plan…

He circled around the building, looking for one or two werewolves on their own. They were far too confident and had split up. When he attacked it was still in his wolf form. Padfoot was a Grim, with a capital G, thank you.

Sirius knew werewolves having spent much of his youth with Moony. He knew where and when they were vulnerable and took full advantage of it.

The first two were left dead, throat and belly having been ripped out.

He killed several more before he came across two Death Eaters and a screaming woman. Well humans die just as quickly to the same injuries and are far easier to surprise. The woman turned out to be nude. He figured they were getting ready to rape her, as she was bound to several large rocks.

He roamed around her, muzzle dripping blood and saliva as he contemplated what to do with her.

She kept babbling, begging him to let her live and not turn her into a Werewolf, he ignored her as he slowly circled her prone body. Then he saw the remains of her clothes, the red color told him she was an Auror.

 _Great. How do I get into these situations?_

She couldn't get up, and he wasn't sure if he should transform to his human form. She was an Auror and he was, currently, a wanted criminal. So he sat on his haunches and watched her struggle to free herself, as she continued to babble, pleading with him to spare her.

He found the show quite entertaining, she was nicely jiggly and honestly he was sorely tempted to rape her himself. No, he decided, that would be much worse than transforming and helping her.

With a shake of his blood-covered snout he shifted to his human form. A quick cleaning spell and he no longer looked like a completely deranged man.

She froze, she had been unable to untie herself and couldn't even manage to plead with him as he approached her.

He knelt beside her, and she froze, eyes wide. The tableau lasted for at least a minute before he said. "I'm an innocent man." He couldn't prevent his eyes raking over her nude body. "Sorry," he added when she blushed red at his attention.

"You're Black!" she whispered a moment later.

He nodded. "And you present a very difficult dilemma. I'm going to free you, but not until I get these men's wands farther away from you."

"You just want to leer at me."

"Well yes." He said, but managed to stand and walk to the dead men. He found their wands and placed them on a rock about a hundred feet away from her.

She had resumed trying to free herself, but paused when he was standing over her. She refused to say anything else, waiting for him to make his mind up.

With a great sigh he stunned her. Then untied her and summoned the wands. A minute later she was disillusioned and then he set up a hasty ward around her so she wouldn't be found or hurt before she woke up.

He needed time to get away, and this had been the best he could come up with.

With the wands of the Death Eaters on her bare stomach he transformed and headed back to the fight.

Sirius arrived to discover Dumbledore fighting Voldemort, and McKinnon making a wall of fire to kill about twenty of the weres at once. Then Bellatrix fell from the bell tower of the manor. How in Merlin's name had she gotten up there?

A quick summoning charm pulled her from the second roof and into the water and he followed her down the stream and around the bend. Sure that no one could see them he summoned her from the water and stunned her again.

With McKinnon, Dumbledore, and Voldemort here, he figured it was time to get his ass out of England.

He took his stunned, nude, wet, bitch and apparated all over the place before triggering his international portkey to the Black manor in France.

}-{

"Say that again Sue?" her Aunt Amelia said.

"Lady McKinnon says this is the Bulwark of the Light. I'm never to part from it."

Amelia shook her head. "No the other part."

"It was hit with a killing curse?"

"Yes, that part. Where?"

Susan shrugged and held the shield so they could both look at the face. It looked as it always had on the wall in Bones Manor.

"I don't see anything."

"Well it did. Maybe Hermione noticed where, I was behind the thing." Susan said with a shrug.

"Alright Sue." Her aunt said and lay back on her bed in St. Mungo's. Her right arm had been mangled to the point where the healers had vanished the bones, then healed the flesh and given her two vials of Skele-Grow for the night.

Auror Tonks was in the bed in the next room, asleep with her body full of anti-cruciatus potion and her father hovering.

Auror Wilson had showed up at the manor just as they were about to portkey out. She'd been wearing the rags of her robe and muttering about a Grim who had saved her life. She was under a dreamless sleep and would be evaluated when she woke to see if she needed a mental healer.

Valerie Norwood was back at McKinnon Castle, under private care. Her husband had arrived to take her there for a few days. They would have to wait until the next full moon to determine if she was infected.

"Lady Bones." Marlene McKinnon called from the doorway.

"Yes?"

"It's nearly midnight, we need to get back to the school." The Hit Witch said. The other teenagers were hovering in the hall behind her. Mr. Potter looked particularly grim and determined.

"Go Sue. I'll be fine." Amelia said.

"Alright Auntie." Susan said before they shared a quick kiss on the cheeks. She slung the Bulwark over her shoulder and settled the strap across her chest, between her breasts.

"McKinnon," Amelia called, gesturing for her to come close with her left hand. She tightly gripped the Hit Witch's hand before continuing. "Thank you. Both for coming to pull my ass from the fire, and discovering what we'd forgotten. Don't you dare resign on me. I don't care if you step outside of the law, your family charter allows you to be judge, jury and executioner. Do what you need to do. You've earned my support and I'll bring everything I can to bear on this. We've got to stop them."

With a sad smile the blonde witch nodded. "Thank you Madam. We all do our best to serve the Light." She then guided Susan out into the hallway.

}-{

Pansy had been stood up. The nerve. Her own 'team' had not bothered to show up for their study session in the room she'd reserved. She spent the first thirty minutes waiting and fuming, then decided to work on the damned puzzle.

Her alarm charm went off a while later, it was almost curfew. Where in Merlin's name were they?

She packed her books and the partial translation she'd managed and hurried to her dorm. Though she was a Prefect, she wasn't on the patrol schedule for tonight.

Draco was waiting for her in the common room and she joined him on a loveseat. "What happened? Did the Ice Bitch do something? I thought you said Potter was going to control her?"

"No." She said shaking her head slowly. "Nothing happened. In fact they didn't show up. No message, no nothing."

"Hmm." He mumbled. "Did you see them at dinner? I didn't notice, but then I try not to look beyond our table."

"No, I don't remember them, but wasn't looking either." She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. "So how are you doing on your clue?"

He laughed. "Not well I'm afraid."

"I've got a partial translation." She said. "Fowl… something… sunrise, then a few words and the last word is owl. Those are the words I'm certain of. I've got guesses for a few of the others, but none of it makes sense yet. I hope they got somewhere on it."

Draco shrugged. "Well class is tomorrow afternoon. Regardless it will be over with." He shifted and pulled his pant legs down to relieve a pinching in his crotch. Fortunately Pansy still had her eyes closed but he couldn't prevent a grunt of relief.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking at him.

He blushed in embarrassment. He'd spent the summer screwing his mother in another girl's body, yet felt wrong explaining it to Pansy.

Draco looked around, making sure no one was near them to listen in. "Remember that project I told you mum was working on?"

"Yeah."

"Well one of the reasons we spent the summer in France was to get that settled. Now we don't have a contract yet, but mum did secure her for much of the summer and I got her pregnant."

Pansy wasn't sure how to react to that so tried very hard to keep her face impassive and wait for him to continue. He was waiting for her though, unable to look in her direction.

"So you have a Malfoy heir on the way?" she finally managed after taking a moment to collect herself.

He nodded.

"But that had nothing to do with your groan." She said and he actually blushed further. Then it clicked, he'd been having sex all summer and had suddenly been cut off. "No." she said a bit harsher than she intended and he jerked his head around to look at her.

Before he could speak she put her hand on his arm. "Sorry, that wasn't how I intended it to come out. You know I'm not allowed to do anything, didn't you read that contract? Unless I'm forced against my will, I'll lose my magic. I've got to wait until the contract is finalized."

"Yeah, I know." He said and sighed leaning back on the couch the purity clause in the contract was a remnant of her father's schemes. "It's just so frustrating. And I haven't heard from my mum in days either. She promised she'd get the contract finalized and let me know. And I've heard absolutely nothing."

"Sorry." She said patting his arm and standing. "Cold showers help." She said with some sympathy. After all she wasn't able to even please herself, thus had taken plenty of those showers. "Night." She added and headed down to her dorm.

}-{

"Oh, damn." Hermione said when they were walking to their suite.

"What?" Daphne asked, pushing her unraveled braid over her shoulder.

"We forgot about Pansy."

The four of them stopped, Susan walked right into Harry's back as she was too exhausted to keep her head up and wasn't watching where she was going.

Harry was knocked forward, just managing to save his nose by getting his hands in front of him. Then Sue landed across him with barely a sound.

Marlene helped Susan up, while Hermione got Harry on his feet. "Alright, I'm escorting Sue to her dorm. You three get to bed."

"Sure." Daphne said and looped an arm around her companions.

The portrait guarding the Hufflepuff dorm opened at Marlene's request. Part of her agreement with Dumbledore gave her unrestricted access to all four houses. The common room was deserted so she got the ginger to help her find her dorm. When they arrived Hanna was still awake and leapt to her feet.

"Where…" Her words died, her friend was dirty and exhausted, with a great shield on her back.

"Can you help me bathe her?" Marlene asked and unstrapped the shield to hang it on a hook that appeared on the wall.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you while we get her clean."

"Alright Lady McKinnon." Hanna said and went to her friend's trunk to locate her bedclothes.

Lady Bones was barely able to stay awake as she was stripped and bathed.

"We were having a meeting about dinner time, when I mentioned the Bulwark of the Light. Sue didn't know what I was talking about until I described it. Then she remembered it was back at her manor. So I called her aunt, but their manor was under attack. The Headmaster, myself, Inspector Norwood, along with Sue, Lord Potter and his ladies, went to assist."

"Really?" Hanna asked as she rinsed out her friends long hair.

"Yes. And we fought werewolves and Death Eaters."

Hanna shivered and accidentally pulled too hard on her friends hair causing her to squeak in protest. "Sorry." She said.

"Volde…" Sue muttered, gripping the edge of the tub and looking intently into her friends eyes before letting her hand splash back into the water.

"So Sue found the shield, the attack ended, and we've been at St. Mungos since."

"Did anyone… What about her auntie?"

"Most of Madam Bones Auror guards were slain, Inspector Norwood has some injuries but none are life threatening. Her husband has her at home for a few days. That means I'm teaching First year Defense in about seven hours. Madam Bones herself was injured and is recovering at St. Mungos."

"Let's get sleepy-head to bed."

Together they lifted the girl from the tub and a quick wave of Marlene's wand dried her off. They got her gown on her and put the sleeping girl in bed. Marlene ignored Hanna climbing into the same bed and cuddling with Susan, she'd be doing the same in a few minutes.

Back in their suite, she found her three lovers had bathed and changed for bed, but were waiting up for her to arrive.

"Clean up, I've got a dreamless sleep ready for each of us and four alarms set to get us up in time." Daphne said quickly as she began unbuttoning her aunt's robes.

"And a Pepper Up for each of us in the morning as well." Hermione added kneeling to work on the Hit Witches' boots.

"What did you decide to do about Pansy?" Marlene asked, unbraiding her hair.

"Sent her a formal apology via house elf." Harry said and stepped close, pulling her into an intense kiss that lasted not quite long enough for either of them. "Thank you." He said and ushered his now nude witch into the shower.

}-{

When Pansy woke she was shocked to find a formal apology letter on her night stand. It was sealed with both the Potter Lord ring and Lady Black ring. Each of them had signed beside their seal.

 _Miss Parkinson,_

 _The Ancient and Most Noble houses of Potter and Black, extend our apology for missing our arranged meeting. We accompanied Headmaster Dumbledore to Bones manor where we assisted in its defense. After a lengthy sojourn in the depths of St. Mungo's, we returned early this morning._

 _Lord Harry Potter, Heir Black_

 _Lady Daphne Black (Acting)_

"Oh, Merlin." Pansy said. _They were out fighting last night?_

}-{

Harry woke to a sobbing Hermione. She was clutching him tightly, her face pressed into his chest. His arms were already around her, they tightened anyway to press his witch against him.

Her sobs were broken as he accidentally compressed her chest and forced some of the air in her lungs to rush out of her mouth.

"Sorry." He said quickly and relaxed his hold on her to instead rub her back.

The other ladies in the bed shifted, Daphne rolled up behind Hermione and got her arms around her, pressing soft kisses to the back of her neck through her mass of hair. Marlene was on Harry's other side, she rested a hand on Hermione's shoulder but looked at Harry with a quizzical expression.

"Don't know, just woke to her crying." He said softly.

Hermione rallied, took two deep breaths and lifted her face from his chest. She was only able to say three words before devolving into tears again. "I killed someone."

Comprehension came to her three companions. They each renewed their gentle caressing and cuddling with the distraught witch.

Harry had accepted that he had killed Quirrell back in first year, and would have to kill to stay alive in his crazy life. So stabbing the werewolf hadn't made an impact on him. He was just happy he had been able to protect them.

Daphne had also killed yesterday, but her aunt had prepared her for that. You kill those who would harm you or yours, before they can do so. Do not give evil an opportunity to thrive. Do not show remorse for those who chose to follow evil, they are already damned.

Marlene McKinnon had long lost count of the number of lives she had ended. Regardless of the number it was still not enough. There were men and women out there who sought to harm others for their own gain, until that no longer happened she would just have to keep killing. Her family magic called her to seek justice for those who could not stand for themselves. The red cloth on the Spear was the constant reminder that those who serve the dark must die.

"Mine." Harry managed to say as her sobs ebbed. "We love you. You likely saved my life by killing him. Thank you."

With Daphne's help Hermione was turned onto her back and Harry claimed her lips in a long, slow, and very wet kiss. It took the brunette witch a bit to join him in the endeavor, but she did.

When he finally pulled away Daphne shot into the gap, quickly covering their lover's lips with hers and showing her a bit more fervently that she was loved.

Marlene tried to press a gentle kiss to Hermione's lips a few minutes later but the brilliant witch had other ideas. She deepened the kiss, her hand snaking into the woman's sleep-tangled hair to prevent her from pulling away.

When the four of them were sorted and sitting in a circle on the bed she seemed much better. "Thank you. I needed that reminder. Intellectually I know I did the right thing, though I could have stunned him, we can't take the risk that he could be woken to kill again. It's just going to take me a bit to get used to this."

"I hope you don't ever get comfortable taking someone's life." Marlene said. "I've killed dozens if not a hundred, but to my knowledge all had chosen to serve the dark. I might pity them, but I have no doubt that they would kill me, or keep me alive to breed their bastards."

Harry growled and snatched the surprised Hit Witch into his arms as his magic flared violently.

Marlene wrapped her arms and legs around him, settling into his lap and pressing her body against his. Her magic flaring to match his.

Daphne and Hermione were there a moment later. The magic in the room doubled in intensity as the two young witches' also joining their companions.

"Harry, love." Marlene said into his ear. "I'm yours and will gladly carry more of your children. None but those now in this chamber shall ever know me."

"Us as well Harry, we can't wait to have your babies and are utterly and completely yours." Hermione said for herself and Daphne who didn't seem capable of speaking, but nodded sharply, tears streaking down her porcelain cheeks.

It took a few minutes for the angry mageling to gain control of himself. Fortunately only his witches were present and together the three comforted and calmed him.

They were all jolted from a contented group hug by the four alarm spells which rang loudly in the room making them cringe in pain. They each scrambled from the pile and bed. The girls had placed the spells on the table across the chamber and they only stopped when touched by the individual they were cast for. So the four of them stumbled and slid to quickly slap their palms on the table.

Only Daphne and Hermione touched the correct one, causing Harry and Marlene to quickly stretch to touch the opposite spell. Silence left their ears ringing.

"Whew." Daphne said, looking at her companions. "Not sure that we need the pepper up potions after those. Merlin Mine, why did you make them so loud?"

Hermione shrugged and stood. "I was worried we'd all be too exhausted and ignore the normal ones."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked her, his hand gently on her elbow.

"Yes." She said, pressing a kiss to his stubbled cheek. "It will just take a bit of sorting." She suddenly snapped her fingers, her expression changing to consternation. "Just remembered two things. Well the reminder for one went off in my head and I realized the other while I was sleeping. We still need to meet with the Headmaster to discuss the Horcruxes. And didn't we pull Godric's sword out of your head a month ago?"

Her three companions looked at her, stunned, she went to her trunk and quickly searched it. "I know I put it in here when I brought it up to our room at Black Manor. But it's not here. How did it get to Dumbledore's office?"

}-{

Susan woke in the familiar arms of her best friend. She vaguely remembered coming back to the school, falling on Harry and then a bath. None of it was particularly sharp or detailed, she must have been exhausted.

If she was going to be running all over the place, fighting and using the Bulwark she needed to get in better shape. But she liked lazing around with Hanna.

There was no denying her life had changed last night. Not only was she now responsible for one of the three artifacts of light, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had tried to kill her aunt. She couldn't pretend to just be an heiress, looking to be the consort or second spouse of someone to continue her line.

Susan didn't know the stories around the three artifacts, but it didn't take too much effort to determine the roles of each. She would have to be really good at healing and shielding. Well she'd fallen easily into that role yesterday, even bashing a werewolf with the Bulwark.

The fact that her shield could stop a killing curse, without showing any damage, was amazing. It hadn't even knocked her back when it hit it. Instead the shield had sounded like a gong being struck, which had surprised her, but not hurt her.

Well it was a good thing she was right handed, she could use her wand normally while holding the shield.

"Got to get up." She said to Hanna and moved her friends arm.

"What? Why?"

"I've got to pee Anna."

"oh, sorry."

Susan hurried to the loo and then jumped into the shower, she'd have to ask where she could start exercising, preferably with Neville. She sighed, if only Hanna liked the Longbottom heir, but she didn't. She preferred Mr. Justin Finch-Fletchley, who just made Susan angry with his superior attitude.

Ten minutes later she exited the dorm to Hanna's protests to get back in bed. With the Bulwark strapped to her back and her backpack in hand she headed up for breakfast. She would need to learn how to carry both of these all the time. Maybe she should get an expanded bag instead? Something she could keep on her belt, maybe have a pocket filled with useful potions?

}-{

Marlene was alone in the Defense classroom when the First year students came streaming in. She was watching for Victoria Norwood, and as soon as Valerie's daughter saw her she gestured for her to come to the front of the room.

Victoria was clearly concerned that her mother wasn't in the room.

Marlene conjured a wall, complete with floral-print paper and wooden wainscoting, between the classroom and them. "Your mother is at home with your father for a few days."

"Oh," Victoria said, her hand covering her mouth.

Marlene knelt and put a gentle hand on the girl's side. "Last night we had to go to Madam Bones manor, it was being attacked. Headmaster Dumbledore was with us as well. She was injured, but should be back in a few days without any problem. Now, do you need to be excused?"

"No Auntie M." the young girl said and added a slight shake of her head.

"Alright, I will tell the class a bit about what happened." Marlene said, placed a gentle kiss on her best friends child and stood.

With a wave of her wand the wall vanished. "In your seats!" she ordered and flicked her wand to close the classroom door with a loud bang.

Once everyone finished scurrying and settled in a seat she continued. "Valerie Norwood, or Inspector Norwood, will normally be your professor. Last night she and I accompanied Headmaster Dumbledore when he received a call for help. Mrs. Norwood was injured, though not severely, and will be returning in a few days. In the meantime you've got me."

She held the Spear of the Light up, it brightened, but did not overwhelm the room. "Other than Vickie, who can name this?"

Tentatively a few hands came up.

"Yes," she said, pointing to a young boy in the first row.

"That's the Spear of the Light." He said, his voice barely audible.

"Correct young man. There are three artifacts of the Light. This was entrusted to my ancestors by Merlin as a tool to help fight the dark. It is rumored to have been Merlin's own staff. I don't know if that is actually true, but do hope to find out some day. The other two items are the Sword of Hope, which is entrusted to the Potters, and the Bulwark, a great shield, born by the Bones family. You will see both now within these walls."

She looked around at the first year students. Certain they were all focused on her she nodded. "We'll start by learning the Protego shield. There are better ones, and some that only work in specific situations, but that's for later. This spell will stop many simple hexes or curses as well as deflect things like rocks or other debris."

}-{

Their first class that morning was History of Magic. "I guess there's no sleeping through this one anymore?"

His ladies merely rolled their eyes at him and ignored his comment to continue their conversation.

This class was shared with Hufflepuff. Susan was already there and came over once they had found a seat.

"Is it alright if I sit with you? I've got some ideas now that I've got this thing." She said, tapping the rim of the large bronze shield over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure." Harry said.

"So long as you understand Harry will not be your consort, nor take you as a mistress." Daphne said firmly, her eyes boring into the Hufflepuff.

"Not a problem." Susan said while Harry blushed red and Hermione tried to get over her companion's blunt statement.

"I'd much prefer to be with Neville, but he needs a spouse for his name first." Susan added and sat beside Hermione, first removing the Bulwark and hanging it over the back of her chair.

"Does he have any prospects?" Daphne said, ignoring the fact that a moment before she'd been glaring at the ginger.

"Two actually." Susan said and then grew quiet as their immortal instructor walked to the front of the chamber.

"Good morning." Perenelle Flamel said and sat on a tall stool. "I am utterly appalled at the state of this class for the last sixty five years. To allow a ghost to rant about his personal aggravation for so long has led to a complete lack of understanding about our past. Yes goblins and humans had several large disagreements, but none of them were as bad as the war of Grindlewald, which has been completely ignored."

She gestured with her left hand and a man appeared beside her. He was short and had close-cropped hair and a tiny mustache. He was dressed in a very formal uniform, all done in black. He looked like he was about to spit on a helpless infant.

Many of the students in the room jerked back when the figure turned, observing the entire room with his menacing glare.

"This is an image of Adolf Hitler." Madam Flamel continued. "He is singularly responsible for the death of more witches and wizards than anyone ever in the history of the world. And he was a muggle. It is his banner that Grindlewald supported. It is this man's ideals of the perfect human that Grindlewald latched onto. They decided that unless you looked like them, or could confirm that both of your parents were like them, you didn't deserve to live."

Hermione couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her throat at the direct parallel with Voldemort and the blood purity campaign.

Madam Flamel shot to her feet. "Consort Potter. I've been told that few can rival your knowledge. Explain to the class why you found my statement humorous?"

A chill went down Hermione's spine, but a quick squeeze from Harry's hand and a direct look from Daphne got her on her feet.

"Madam Flamel. I am muggleborn myself. The atrocities committed by the Nazi's are well known. It directly correlates to Voldemort's campaign against those not pure of blood. But what makes that more ironic is the fact that he was not a pureblood himself."

Her statement caused an immediate reaction from many in the chamber. She stood, waiting to see if she needed to continue her explanation, but Madam Flamel motioned for her to sit.

There was a loud bang and everyone quickly grew silent. "This is fact. Consort Potter is correct. Though he tried to hide his origin by creating a new name and title for himself, his real name is Tom Riddle. A name that you will not find among the Ancient or Noble houses of this land. The name is actually from his muggle father."

In the ensuing silence she made another gesture. Hitler vanished to be replace by a handsome looking boy of about eighteen. "Tom Riddle was Headboy here in the fifties. He vanished from England, traveling abroad to the Urals, deep within the Russian Confederation, where he underwent rituals to enhance his abilities."

The figure shifted to the form Harry knew well. Many of those present shivered and couldn't look at the menacing figure that now stood in the middle of the chamber.

"This is what happens when you are not taught an accurate history of your own land. Every single witch and wizard in this land should know all of this information. I will actually begin this class with the ancient Druids and their ritual magic. You are dismissed for today."

"Well that was a breath of fresh air." Hermione said to her companions.

"Was all of that accurate?" Susan said, her face was pasty white and she was clearly shocked by the information presented.

"Yes it is." Harry said gently.

The four of them remained seated while many of their classmates virtually ran from the room, too shocked by what they'd heard to remain behind a moment longer.

"Lord Potter." Madam Flamel said from a few feet away.

Harry quickly got to his feet and bowed, while the ladies each curtsied. Daphne seemed to be in her element, perfectly poised and composed. Hermione was a bit nervous, but confident in her own knowledge and her companions. Susan was much worse than a moment ago and collapsed into her chair as soon as she finished her curtsy.

"Rest Heir Bones. The bearer of Guinevere's Bulwark must be ready to stand against all, supporting her companions, lest they fall." Madam Flamel said gently and took a seat on a conjured stool.

Though Susan nodded, she couldn't speak. Hermione put an arm around her and whispered in her ear.

"She just learned her heritage last night, when my aunt, the Lady McKinnon, informed her." Daphne said. "We're still working on adding her to our group, though she did well enough when needed."

"Yes," Perenelle said with a nod, "I heard from the Headmaster that you had to rescue Madam Bones. Well done, all of you. I'm glad to see a concerted effort to stand against the dark."

"Lady McKinnon…" Harry started, but trailed off when the ancient woman's eyes met his. Though her body looked no older than his lovers, those eyes were more than capable of expressing the millennia they'd witnessed.

"I have a confession to make, and it is one I never intended to voice."

She paused, but none of them dared to interrupt her.

"She was not allowed to accompany her family on my orders. McKinnon, Potter, and Bones must endure. Only your bloodlines are capable of using my godson's artifacts, and only together will that be realized."

Harry wasn't sure what to think of that. It had caused Marlene more than a decade of heartache, but she would likely have perished, ending the line of McKinnon. He wasn't sure of the laws, but Daphne would have been next in line to the McKinnon name, since her mum was Marlene's older sister.

He took Daphne's hand and gently squeezed it when she looked at him. Her eyes were very troubled and she didn't seem to know how to react to the immortal woman's statement either.

Hermione cleared her throat, making him jump. She immediately changed the topic. "Why did you come out of hiding?"

"Because this kingdom is hovering on the brink of the abyss. Nicholas and I are not fighters, but we can help you understand and prepare."

"And just maybe your godson takes interest?" Daphne asked.

Perenelle looked at the acting Lady Black sharply, "Do not expect Merlin to solve your problems for you."

Daphne half-stood before falling back in her seat and using her cold voice. "No, madam, I will die alongside my companions if it comes to that. Should my aunt fall, if I am able, I will take up the Spear of Light."

"And that's your McKinnon blood." Perenelle said and smiled, clearly satisfied at getting that reaction from Daphne.

Daphne relaxed by degrees now realizing she'd been baited and reacted as the woman had expected. But she wouldn't have done things differently, so ultimately it didn't matter.

"Can you teach us more about these?" Harry said, tapping the hilt of the sword over his shoulder.

"Some, yes." Perenelle said, shifting her attention to him. "I know the origin and what Merlin intended them to be. But I cannot help you learn how to swing it."

"That seems to come naturally to me." Harry said with a smile.

"Can we schedule some time to meet with you?" Hermione asked. "We'd of course include Lady McKinnon."

Perenelle was looking intently at Susan, who seemed to have recovered to sit up and didn't look on the verge of throwing up. "Yes, we need to include your associated allies such as Longbottom and any others who would be fighting directly with you."

"Yes, thank you." Harry said.

}-{

Lavender Brown's team handily won the first week's competition. They walked into the Defense classroom and deposited a chicken egg on the teachers desk before sitting at their table. None of the other groups had brought anything.

"Sorry, Miss Parkinson." Hermione said quietly as the girl looked at each of them coldly.

"I tried to translate the thing," she finally hissed. "I'm certain that we would have had it, had I any help." She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. "That being said, I understand you couldn't have predicted your absence last night. It just means we've got to get these things figured out faster."

"Acceptable Miss Parkinson." Harry said. "We'll make every effort to arrive timely at future meetings."

Daphne didn't say a word, nor did she appear the least bit contrite, but she also did not threaten or insult Pansy. Her signature and seal upon the formal letter obviously said everything she wished to say on the subject.

"Congratulations." Marlene said to Lavender's group. "First place to team 4, all other teams are in last place with no points. This was deliberately a puzzle and nothing more. There will be elements of that in the future. Here is your clue for next week's. It's a bit more straight forward. Prepare yourselves to fight a week from today."

She flicked her wand and four scrolls flew from her desk to each team leader and hovered in front of them until taken.

"I recommend you spend the rest of this period, and next, making sure you ask me to help you learn whatever spells you deem necessary."

Marlene walked the length of the room, the butt of her staff tapping lightly on the stone floor as she spoke. "Now since most of you are trying to figure out why Lord Potter has a sword on his back, I'll explain. You should all know that there are three artifacts of the light. Each was entrusted to a family by Merlin before the founding of this school. McKinnon's bear this staff, called the Spear of Light. Potters the Sword of Hope, which Lord Potter now has in his possession. The final item is a great shield called the Bulwark, which Lady Susan Bones now carries. I'll award extra credit for any team that presents an essay on any of the three, high-lighting the significant events surrounding them."

She sat on her desk, the Spear stood where she left it, as though it had grown roots. "You may work on preparing now. I'm available for questions, either asked in front of everyone or behind privacy screens as needed."

"So what's it say?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Pansy untied the black ribbon that held the scroll closed and unrolled it on the table. "A golem has run amuck. The creature has just emerged from the Forbidden forest and is heading towards the school. You must contain it, without destroying it, as quickly as possible. You will have only your wands."

She passed the scroll to Hermione when she was done reading it aloud. The brilliant brunette opened her mouth but then closed it to scowl as she re-read the parchment herself.

"The problem is not destroying it I think." Harry said.

"I don't think conjured rope will hold a golem." Daphne said, tapping a long red nail on the table as she thought.

"Can we conjure chains?" Harry asked, his blonde witch shrugged her perfect shoulders but didn't speak.

"Conjuring metal is NEWT level." Pansy said. "Much less making sure it is strong enough to stop a magical construct."

"I recommend we research various types of golems." Hermione said. "And I can conjure metal, but it only lasts a minute or so." She said, a flick of her wand and a silver goblet appeared on the table. It was highly polished and about four inches tall.

Pansy whistled slowly as she picked up the heavy goblet, identical to the ones they used at meal times. "That is good. But it vanishes far too quick to hold a golem."

"Yes." Hermione said and put her wand away.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"How are you doing?" Ginny asked Astoria. It had been a few days since the start of term, and she'd meant to do this earlier, but it was difficult to locate her Slytherin friend where she felt she could speak with her.

"I'm alright, how are you?" The blonde girl replied with a soft smile. She frowned a moment later and sighed. "No, that's not right. Honestly, I'm a bit lonely without my sister around. Would you like to have a seat?"

Ginny felt torn, she wasn't sure she could stand the reactions if she was found sitting with a Slytherin. "Sure." She said anyway and took the seat beside Astoria who smiled wider at the response.

"Thanks, how are you doing? Miss Ward of House Potter?" the blonde said with a raised eyebrow and teasing tone.

Ginny found herself blushing brightly. "Stop." She hissed.

"Wait." Astoria said, suddenly serious, and drew her wand to cast a privacy spell around them. She waited a moment and then put her head near the ginger's. _"Hello?"_ she hissed in parseltongue.

Ginny blanched and flinched away, "Don't." she managed to say with a shiver, hugging herself.

"Sorry." Astoria said and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You just spoke it, so I thought I should let you know I speak it too."

"What? I did?"

"Yes, when you said stop, it was in parseltongue." She squeezed her friend's shoulder. "Look it's a family trait, from Aunt M's line. My mother, sister and aunt can all speak it too."

Ginny's eyes opened wide and goose bumps formed on her pale skin.

"Honestly." Astoria added, after seeing the reaction.

"Um, wow."

"So, I'm not going to pry, but if you want it a secret, think carefully when you're speaking."

"Yeah." She said, nodding. "Thanks. It's not something I like to remember."

With a sharp nod, Astoria dropped the topic. "Have you seen much of Luna? I've got another friend, Stephanie Rosier, she and I have decided to study on Saturday. Here, just after lunch for an hour or two. You and Luna are welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Isn't she in Slytherin too?"

"Yes, but she's alright. Her older brother's a stuck up ass, but at least he graduated."

"Will you get in trouble? You know, studying with us?"

Astoria shook her head slowly. "I'm not worried. Nott's been watching me a bit more than normal, but he's far too terrified of my sister. And with Aunt M. in the castle too, I don't expect anything to happen."

"I think you should still be careful." Ginny found herself saying anyway. "Remember how Harry got kidnapped last year? A teacher made the trophy into a portkey. What's to stop Snape making one that Nott 'accidentally' gets a hold of, and kidnapping you that way?"

Instead of immediately answering, Astoria grew quiet. Ultimately she pulled her foot up to her knee, just like boys sit, and unlaced her dragonhide boot. She took it half-way off, showing a platinum band around her ankle and tapping it once for emphasis. Then she quickly replaced her boot and laced it back up. "That will allow Aunt M. to find me anywhere. And unless I'm being watched by the Dark Lord himself, I don't think any of them can handle her."

"Please be careful anyway." Ginny said and squeezed her friend's hand. "It would still take time for her to realize you're gone and come looking for you. Who knows what might happen, and there are worse things than being killed."

"Yeah." Astoria said. "Like what happened to the Griff Chasers." She nodded. "Did you hear Johnson's pregnant?"

"no," Ginny whispered, feeling ill. Her family continued to cause problems, even from prison.

Astoria shrugged, "Well it's a rumor, but I heard it from Millicent, her third cousin works at St. Mungos, so I'd give it more than fair odds of being correct."

Ginny found herself wiping tears from her cheeks and was enveloped in a gentle hug. A hand slowly slid up and down her spine, pressing gently.

"Sorry Gin. Didn't mean to scare you."

She shook her head, she wasn't crying because she feared it happening to her, it was her damned family messing with other's lives. It took her a few minutes to calm herself enough to speak. "I'm so ashamed that my family did this to them."

"Yeah." Astoria said, not looking at her, but continuing to gently hold her.

Ginny slowly pulled away, her face blotchy from crying. "Well, I'll ask my brother Charlie, he's acting Head of the family. He should know."

}-{

"Alright everyone." Marlene said to the fifth year class. They were all sitting at their tables, and seemed to have grown too quiet for her liking. "I hope you've been working on the puzzle for next Thursday. Only a few of you have asked about some spells. I'll assume the rest of you have it well in hand and instead I'm going to teach you a new spell."

Some of them looked interested, but most of the class was clearly not. "Today I'm going to go over the enhanced senses spell. It basically amplifies your sense of smell and hearing for several hours. This will of course help you notice things, and hopefully, give you extra time to avoid an attack."

The class looked very attentive now, good, she had their focus.

"Miss Brown, come up to the front please."

After a brief moment of shock, she stood and walked up to the teacher.

"Now, don't look too nervous. I'm going to cast the spell on you and we're going to do a little test."

Lavender nodded, her hands were clenched into fists though, showing her nerves.

"First we'll test your hearing. Place your back to the class, I don't want you to see their lips move and guess."

The girl looked even more ill-at-ease, but did as instructed.

"Mr. Zabini, stand in the aisle at the back of the class, beside Mr. Malfoy's desk."

Once the Italian boy was in place, Marlene continued. "Mr. Malfoy, whisper a direction to Mr. Zabini, like take a step forward or raise your left arm. Just loud enough for him to hear you."

Draco looked perplexed for a moment, then cupped his mouth with one hand, to further shield the sound from the front of the room.

Blaise looked at him, rolled his eyes and hopped up into the air.

"Miss Brown, did you hear anything?"

"Um, it sounded like someone tapped their shoes on the floor."

"That was the result of Mr. Malfoy's instructions, not what he said. Now I'll cast the spell on you and we'll repeat the test." She raised her wand and cast. "Augendae sensu." Circling the girl's head with her wand.

Then her voice dropped to a very soft alto, "It will take a little getting used to."

Though most of the class couldn't hear her, Lavender cringed and covered her ears for a moment before shaking her head and uncovering them again.

Instead of speaking, Marlene nodded to Mr. Malfoy.

Draco repeated his previous cautionary cupping of his mouth and whispered something to Blaise.

"I am not taking off my top!" Lavender yelled, spinning around. Then the sound of her own loud voice registered and she cringed, covering her ears again.

With a quick jab Marlene canceled the spell on her test subject. "I'll let that slide Mr. Malfoy." She said and then rolled her eyes when Mr. Finnegan exchanged high-fives with the pureblood heir.

"Clearly Miss Brown was able to hear what was said, though I doubt anyone else in the room did. The spell works similarly for your sense of smell. Miss Brown, Mr. Zabini, you may return to your seat. Thank you and ten points to Gryffindor."

Lavender went back to her seat, scowling at the grinning blonde boy in the back of the room.

"Since we have four people in each group, pair up and see if you can cast, then test, the spell. As you saw it makes you very sensitive, so everyone keep your voices low. You need to go around the subjects head with your wand while casting, so yes you can do it to yourself as well. A finite will cancel it. I'll be wandering around and help you get the casting right. The words are on the board."

She pointed her wand at the blackboard and the incantation appeared in large letters.

}-{

That night when they entered their suite Harry sat at the table and pulled out a parchment. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked while Daphne headed into the loo.

"Making a list of things we need to do."

"I'll get mine out and we can compare them when you're done." The brilliant witch said and headed to her trunk.

 _Of course she's got a list, it's Hermione for God's sake._ Harry two said in his head.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered and went to work on his list. He heard the shower start and knew at least one of his witches was taking her clothes off. He struggled a moment, and his Occlumency managed to curb the immediate reaction of joining her in the shower.

1\. Get better at fighting.

a. As a group, including Susan.

b. What about Neville?

c. Ginny, Astoria, and Luna?

2\. Learn more about the Sword of Hope from Madam Flamel.

a. Library?

3\. Discuss the 'things' keeping Tom alive with Dumbledore.

4\. Check in with Sirius and Remus.

5\. Don't forget about Ron and Lockhart.

a. What are they doing?

b. Would they sneak into Hogwarts? Check the map!

6\. How can I fight Tom?

a. Sword?

b. What would we have done if Dumbledore hadn't been at Bones Manor?

7\. Need to publicly support Madam Bones.

a. Write an article for the Prophet?

b. Quibbler? No, Mr. Lovegood is still gone.

c. Interview with Skeeter? Ugh, last resort.

That was as far as he got before Hermione sat down beside him and started looking over what he'd written so he leaned back.

"No, go ahead, keep going." She said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, just wanted to see what you had on your list."

Harry nodded and went back to his list. The first thing that came to his mind had nothing to do with the real issues, but would get a rise out of his witches when they read it. So he tried to control his grin as he added it to the very serious list.

8\. Get Daphne and Hermione a birthday present.

And then he couldn't restrain himself from the next two either.

9\. Start a list of baby names with Lene.

a. Alfred?

b. Alexander?

10\. Plan wedding with Hermione and Daphne.

His cock was hard in his pants, just thinking about the last two items. "Alright, I'm done. Can't get back on topic." He said and slid the parchment in front of Hermione. He leaned back and ran his fingers roughly through his wild hair.

Then he jerked to his feet and went to his trunk to get the Marauders Map. Back at the table he activated it and started checking the secret tunnels.

"Harry." Hermione said, from beside him and gave his shoulder a light shove.

"What?" He said with a slight smile, trying not to look at her, there was no way he could keep a straight face if he did. She would be rolling her eyes at him.

"Don't give me that Mr. Potter." She said and he simply couldn't stop himself from looking at his first friend.

Yep she had her arms crossed and was trying to look angry with him, but the crinkle beside her eyes gave her away. Moments later she laughed and gave up on the stern look.

"What's so funny?" Daphne said from the bathroom doorway. She had her hair wrapped in an emerald towel and was using a matching one on her trim body. When she ran the towel over her breasts, he was gone.

She squeaked as he snatched her into his arms and roughly claimed her mouth.

Her protest vanished a second later and her moan vibrated into his throat. It triggered another level of aggression in his hind-brain.

His hand went painfully into her hair, forcing her to tilt her head back and submit to him. She went willingly, her hands scrabbling at his belt.

Harry's magic shot through her, claiming her, dominating her with its raw power and his need. She accepted his claim and managed to match his need with wanton desire.

Still mostly dressed, he moved them to the bed, one hand lifting her bare ass, the other still controlling her head. She shoved his pants and boxers down his legs and wrapped both of her hands around his pulsing cock. Seconds after she was pressed between the sheets and his hardness, he tore into her cunt.

She squealed again, but spread herself wider, welcoming and encouraging his ardor. "Harder," she said into his mouth. They were barely breathing, their mouths continually locked together as his tongue dominated hers.

Once he was hammering into her cunt, her feet closed on his ass, pulling him into her harder, faster as she lifted herself to meet him.

The room was filled with the sound of their violent coupling, she continually mewled and he grunted as they slammed together as fast as either of them could manage.

At that pace they were never going to last long, but even their communal climax only caused them to pause. He pulled back, only to spin her to her stomach. She lifted her ass, spreading herself with her hands for him.

His dripping cock rammed into her ass a moment later.

The force of her impalement pressed her face deeply into the mattress and she couldn't find a place to breathe for a minute as he hammered into her. Just before her brain began to protest the lack of oxygen he hauled back on her hair, forcing her to arch her back and twist to meet his mouth with hers.

She pulled air from his lungs to replenish her deficit. "Own me!" she said and latched her mouth with his once again.

With her breasts swinging wildly, he rode her ass, grinding himself deeply within her for a moment before returning to the rapid hammering she seemed to crave.

She held herself up with her arms pressed deeply into the mattress. His arm went around her torso, painfully grasping one of her swinging breasts, while the other still controlled her head.

Her groans were overwhelmed by his grunts and sweat coated both of them. Neither slowed or paused until he erupted in her bowels.

They collapsed in a sweaty heap, the sheets around them soaked with their perspiration and fluids. Neither cared in the least.

He lay atop her, one hand trapped beneath her as it still cupped her breast, the other he untangled from her hair.

She groaned but turned to press a kiss to his famous forehead. "Thank you." She said and got one hand on his side, the other served as her pillow as she drifted off to sleep.

}-{

"Wow." Hermione whispered once they were asleep. She pulled her sopping fingers from her cunt, having nearly shoved her whole hand inside herself as she watched Harry completely ravage Daphne.

She'd climaxed along with them, her magic intertwined with both of theirs. The raw need and desire had pulled her right along with them.

She looked back at Harry's list, perhaps they needed to seriously think about them having his children sooner, rather than later. Their raw magic and desire could overwhelm the potions she and Daphne were on.

Absently licking her hand clean, she found her wand and banished Harry's clothes to the corner. He hadn't managed to strip, still having his shirt, tie and t-shirt on his torso while his boxers and pants were bunched around his ankles, held on by his shoes.

Once they were both nude she levitated a sheet over them.

She hadn't managed to strip either, merely hiked up her skirt and shoved her lace knickers to the side.

She saw Marlene approaching on the map and canceled it with a quick, "Mischief managed." They had yet to share that bit with the Hit Witch, and though Hermione had no problem telling her about it she wouldn't do so without Harry's permission.

"What happened here?" Marlene whispered as she walked into the bedroom from her suite. The Hit Witch was nude, carrying a robe and the Spear. She stuck the Spear to the floor in the corner as she usually did and walked over to Hermione.

"Hmm?" she asked and gently raked her fingers through Hermione's dripping folds.

"Mmm." The witch moaned and gladly accepted a tender kiss from the older woman.

"Mine, what happened?" she asked, with a head-tilt towards the bed.

"Harry went cave-man on Daph. He was brutal. She loved it."

Marlene pressed another gentle kiss to the brunette's lips. "I'm not sure where she gets that, but I'm happy he can fulfill her need."

"Yeah, but I don't think I can handle that." Hermione said, biting her lower lip.

"Do you have any idea how sexy that is?"

"What?" Hermione asked biting her lip again and looking up at the tall woman through her lashes.

"That." Marlene said and then prevented her from doing it again by sucking the lip into her mouth. At the same time the witches long fingers slid into her sopping hole, thumb gently padding over her nub.

Hermione put her hand to the Hit Witches breast and pinched the hard nipple she found there. They kissed deeply, but ever so tenderly. Each loved the taste and sensuousness of the other.

When they reluctantly parted Hermione said. "Let me get my clothes off."

She stood, Marlene gently removing her fingers and sucking them clean while she waited.

Hermione tore her eyes from the delectable sight to look at the sleeping couple. "Do you think it might have something to do with the way Daphne was raised? Her father beat her, could she associate that with love?"

Marlene made a sour face, which had nothing to do with the honey swirling in her mouth. "Merlin, I hope not."

Hermione hesitated before saying the remainder of her thought. "And what if Harry has the same association? He was also beaten by his relatives."

"Mine." Marlene said and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the brunette witch down beside her. "He's never acted violently with you has he?"

"No, he's never scared me." she answered immediately and then trailed off.

"Hermione?" Marlene said a minute later when the witch didn't continue.

"Sorry."

"I'm not sure if I'd like it for him to be rough either." The blonde witch said with a blush. "But I did like it when you and Daph played with my ass. I want him to take mine, you've said you want the same."

Hermione nodded.

"But I think we both want him to treat us more like equals, Daphne wants to be dominated by him and doesn't care if he hurts her while doing so."

"Yes, that's certainly true. He didn't wait for her to be ready, she'd just taken a shower and was drying off. We were sitting at the table talking, then he pounced on her. I had to banish his clothes when they were done, for the second time mind you."

"Let's talk to them about this on the weekend."

"Yeah." Hermione said and they cuddled into the big bed together.

A flick of Marlene's hand sent the room into darkness, except for the soft glow of the Spear of Light in the corner.

Hermione squirmed down a little and latched onto one of Marlene's magnificent nipples. "Hmmm." The witch hummed a moment later, lacing her fingers through the younger's thick hair. "Thought you wanted to cuddle and sleep?"

The brunette sucked hard on the nipple, flicking it with the tip of her tongue as she pulled away, stretching the breast until is slipped from her mouth. "I am cuddling."

"Well turn around then so I can return the favor." Marlene said and pushed against Hermione's shoulder to get her to spin around over her.

Using the erect nipple as a pivot, Hermione spun until the witch under her could latch onto her own nipple.

With their companions sleeping near them they tried to stay quieter than usual, a task aided by the fact that their mouths were occupied.

Marlene ran her long fingers along the brilliant witches nether lips and lightly raked her nails over her clit. The brilliant one shivered and spread her legs wider, causing her hips to lower for easier access.

Moments later Hermione was returning the favor, and began vigorously swirling her fingertips over the Hit Witches clit.

Now each painfully sucking on a nipple the witches hovered on the border, each trying to hold out long enough to bring the other to their completion. Ultimately they forced one another over the edge.

Tortured nipples were released to stand erect and wet in the night while they both froze, mouths open but no sound emerged as they completely locked up.

Marlene was the first to react, lightly kissing the distended, red, nipple over her mouth. "Sorry." She said with a husky voice.

"Lene, that was wonderful." Hermione said and briefly flicked the nipple she'd been trying to suck off of the witch.

They re-oriented themselves, so they were face to face, their tits interlaced between them. Each had their eyes closed while they tried to control their breathing. Hermione found Marlene's lips and tenderly kissed her several times, making sure to lightly bite her lower lip in the process.

Together they drifted off to sleep, entirely content with one another.

}-{

Daphne woke, still tangled with her lord, his hard cock was jammed into her sore ass. He had started to fuck her again. Most of their lubrication had dried to a sticky mess, which pulled on her tender flesh. She twisted to see his face, the soft light from the Spear showed his eyes were closed.

She flexed her pelvis, helping him pull out farther and go in deeper. It didn't matter that she was sore. It didn't matter in the slightest if she didn't get pleasure from it. What mattered was him holding her, caressing her, kissing her, claiming her.

He still had a hand beneath her, holding her just under her breasts.

She wished she could fuck him properly, but in this position she was doing all she could.

"Hmmm." He hummed, as his eyes opened. It took him a minute to figure out that this wasn't a dream.

"Keep going." She whispered to him, caressing his hips with her hands and thrusting up onto him.

He did, but instead of brutally possessing her, he was slow and gentle, pressing dry kisses to her neck and cheek. Then he took her earlobe into his mouth, being especially gentle with her lightning bolt earring as he flicked it and made her growl.

"Love you." He whispered directly into the shell of her ear.

"Merlin Harry, I don't know what I did to deserve it. Thank you."

He chuckled and paused to adjust his arm under her, pulling it out to help support himself. He had to shake it to get the feeling back into the limb.

When he settled flush on her back, his cheek pressed to her temple she sighed. "I never thought I'd love anyone." She confessed.

"You're mine." He said with a bit more force, his cock grinding in the depths of her ass.

"Yes." She said and added after a soft gasp. "Utterly."

They slowly built momentum, even without any stimulation to her cunt Daphne managed to cum in a quaking shudder that sent him over the edge. With his seed shooting into her depths she sighed in contentment.

 _Perhaps there was a time for slow and gentle?_ She thought. "Love you." She whispered and fell blissfully asleep again.

}-{

 _Goblins suck, but damn the world would be a sorry place without them willing to do anything for the right amount of gold._ Sirius thought as he sat in the lobby of the Paris branch of Gringotts.

He was waiting for his account manager to let him know if they would be able to break Bella's matrimonial bond with Lestrange. He'd been right, imaging that, the Lestranges had put one over on his grandfather when they'd proposed the contract. Bella had been unable to make her own decisions since then.

She'd been nothing more than a puppet for the amusement of that dark family. He was half-tempted to return to Azkaban yet again and off the two brothers in their cells. But even he figured that was a bit too risky.

"Mr. Black? Your account manager will see you now." The sexy she-goblin said in a husky voice, her tusks making her lisp.

"Thank you." He said and followed her barely-concealed ass into the secure hall of the managers.

"Ahh, Mr. Black." The wrinkled goblin said by way of greeting.

"Mr. Manager." He said, still not knowing the being's name. The title on the door would have to do.

"Sit sit. Would you like a complimentary cock-suck?" the manager asked, gesturing for the she-goblin to come closer.

As much as Sirius thought the adventure might be worth it, those fangs seemed a bit too scary without an impervious charm on himself. "No, please. Can we get to business?"

The she-goblin seemed a bit disappointed, and he wasn't quite sure why as she'd scowled at the account manager when he made the offer.

"Yes, yes. To business. Well for a fee of 5,000 galleons, the ritual to break the bond was completed. The slave bond to your Dark Lord was similarly removed. We've kept her sedated, but they tell me her memories are likely gone for the entire time the bond was in effect."

"Really? So she'll think she's seventeen?"

"Likely. And regarding that, Mr. Flamel has an elixir of youth."

"Yes, I'll pay it. Make her look seventeen again."

"Certainly Mr. Black. She'll be dosed and returned to you in the next hour. You can wait in the lobby if you wish."

"She'll be returned discretely, right?"

The goblin nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. Shrunken and under stasis as you brought her."

"Good. The Family Black appreciates your discretion."

"And Gringotts appreciates your abundant and free-flowing gold." The account manager said.

While Sirius followed the she-goblin's ass back to the lobby he wondered if he should have taken the manager's offer of her sucking him off or not.

She didn't say anything, and he didn't bring it up as he resumed his seat in the lobby. In just about an hour he'd have a seventeen year old Bellatrix to take home and play with. Merlin life was grand!

}-{

 **Azkaban falls**

The next morning's Daily Prophet had Harry scowling. Azkaban had fallen last night. Voldemort had stormed the prison and freed his followers. The Dementors were gone, all guards were dead and the prison itself was still burning as fiendfyre raged through the ancient stone.

"We need to meet with Dumbledore today!" Harry whispered to his ladies.

Hermione nodded but Daphne shook her head. "I doubt he's going to be in the school today, he's probably at the Ministry or helping investigate."

Harry's indignant expression faded and his shoulders slumped, "Yeah, you're probably right. I just feel like we need to be out there doing something."

"We're learning everything we can Harry." Hermione said gently from his side and his witches each gave him a hug from either side.

"Let's meet with Neville and Susan at least." Daphne suggested, getting a smile from both of her companions. "And let's not forget the meeting with Parkinson after dinner."

}-{

They met Neville and Susan in the Defense classroom just before dinner. The Longbottom heir seemed quite a bit lost but determined to be there since Susan had asked him.

"So what are we doing?" Neville finally asked.

"We're learning advanced Defense." Hermione said.

Marlene walked into the room from her office. She stood the Spear by her desk and came down to meet them in the middle of the room.

Neville and Susan stood still and looked like they'd been caught when she arrived.

"What's the matter Mr. Longbottom?" Marlene asked.

"Um, we didn't mean to be in your classroom without your permission." He managed to say a minute later.

Marlene's carefully sculpted eyebrow went up. "And whom did you think was teaching you?"

"Oh." Neville said with a start.

Harry let out a quick laugh, "Sorry." He said a moment later. "That was funny."

"The purpose of this instruction." Daphne said, causing Harry to grow silent. "Is to help Susan, Harry and Lady McKinnon work together with the three artifacts of Light."

"Yes, please." Susan said, swinging the Bulwark around with a now-practiced-motion and slipping her hand into the gauntlet. "That's about the extent of my knowledge. And the stone still hasn't lit up." She added with an exasperated sigh.

"Heir Bones." Marlene said sharply. "With each of the artifacts they only fully respond to the current head of the family. You are not quite old enough to trigger its obedience."

"OH, that makes sense." Hermione said. "And it fits why Hope didn't do anything back in second year, but did when Harry got close to it now."

"Yes." Marlene said. "So for now, Heir Bones, you may learn of its abilities, but most of them are still out of your reach."

"So what can we do?" Susan asked.

"First I need to rectify a problem Mr. Longbottom has." Marlene said.

"What?" the sandy-haired boy asked, looking pale.

"You do not match your wand." Marlene said. "Now I understand that the wand may hold sentimental value, but you really need to get your own."

Neville took out his wand and looked at it morosely. "It was my dad's." he finally said softly.

"I recommend you keep it on your wall in your bedroom, but not try to use it." Marlene said with equal softness. "Your magic can be damaged trying to use a wand you do not fit well with. Your casting is far too weak for the effort you put forth."

"I don't know how I'll manage to convince my Grams." Neville said.

"Leave that to me young man." Marlene said and patted his shoulder. "I've penned a letter for her and will send it tonight. Expect a shopping trip on the first Hogsmeade weekend with her."

"That sounds brilliant." He said and suddenly lurched forward and gave the tall woman an awkward hug. Blushing furiously he stepped back and then turned and hugged Hermione. The girl squawked in protest.

When she was released Neville was met with the glowing wand of Daphne Greengrass. "Don't think about it Longbottom."

The sandy-haired boy sobered immediately and quickly found the floor an intriguing topic.

"It's alright Neville." Susan said and took his hand. "But you should only hug me in this room."

He looked around, almost completely confused, but he finally noticed how tense Harry was and blinked in surprise. "Sorry Harry. Um. I mean Lord Potter."

Hermione stepped back and put an arm around Harry's waist, which visibly calmed him down. She whispered into his ear a moment and the tension left the boy-who-lived.

"Sorry Nev." Harry said.

"Ahem?" Marlene said with a slight cough. "Let's get started shall we? Dinner is starting soon."

"Yes, please." Susan said once again.

}-{

They joined Pansy in the reserved study room on the fourth floor. Daphne and Hermione warded the door to prevent anyone from listening in on them.

Before they got down to discussing the Golem project, Pansy placed the apology letter on the table. She pointed at the seal beside Daphne's name.

"When did you become Lady Black?" she asked.

"What?" Daphne asked in a hushed whisper. Instead of looking at the seal on the letter she looked at the ring on her finger. "Oh, it changed."

"What?" Harry asked, and looked at his own rings.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I noticed that about a week ago. Didn't think it really mattered much though."

Pansy looked at her, eyes wide. "Of course it means something. She's now the Lady Black! I'm astonished you're not Lady Potter yet."

"But how can she be Lady Black when I'm not Lord Black?" Harry asked and held his hand out to Pansy, showing the heir ring for House Black.

The Slytherin shrugged. "You'll have to consult the goblins or the Wizengamot Herald. One of them should be able to puzzle it out. Though I'd go to the goblins if you want any secrecy on the topic."

Daphne took Harry's hand in hers and pulled it to her chest. When he looked at her she softly said. "Thank you."

"What? What?" Pansy said quickly.

"I'm not sure I want to speak more of this." The blonde said, her expression changing to cold indifference as she focused on Pansy.

"Look, Ice. I'm not your enemy." She paused and reached into her bag. When she looked back up there were two wands pointing at her. She continued to move, though slower, and placed a folded parchment on the table in front of Daphne. "I prepared that as a sign of good faith. I've met The Dark Lord, and don't see how anyone can follow the madman. I want out of my betrothal and I want my family safe."

"In exchange for what?" Hermione asked, lowering her wand.

"I'll be your spy in Slytherin." She said, not taking her eyes off of Daphne.

Harry picked up the parchment and read through it, emitting a low whistle and frowning.

"Blaise is cozying up to Davis on Nott's orders. Nott has a mission from The Dark Lord, but won't share it with Draco or myself, though he did share it with Nott. Nott has been watching Astoria carefully this year." Pansy recited.

"Yes, that's what she wrote." Harry said and held the parchment for Daphne to read.

Daphne was looking at Pansy intently though and didn't glance at the paper. "I'll end both of them if they touch my sister or my best friend." She said in her cold voice.

Pansy shrugged instead of reacting to the tone. "I'm sure they're aware of that. And expect The Dark Lord to protect them."

"Do you know how you can get out of your betrothal?" Hermione asked when Daphne grew angry at the response.

"Yes, of course. It's my contract." Pansy said. "One of us is declared dead or sterile, someone buys out my contract from the Malfoy's. Minimum is 10,000 galleons, though they can refuse up to 30,000, anything over that and they have to accept it. Lord Malfoy can decide to end it and return my bride-price."

"What if Malfoy no longer exists as a house?" Harry asked in a surprisingly firm voice.

"Lord Potter." Pansy said, suddenly formal. "That would of course end my contract. Though in addition to Lord Malfoy and Draco, there is apparently a woman whom Draco got with child over the summer." She shrugged. "I don't know much, though he spent the majority of the summer in France."

"We'll write to Lord Black." Hermione said. "Perhaps he can help track the girl down."

}-{


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Sirius Black arrived in the Furieux Manor, using the same portkey that had initially brought him and Remus to crash into the added wall. Now he might as well be the lord here. After his discussion with Javona and her daughter, about how Amanda had been mistreated by Lord Furieux, Sirius had to take action.

He'd reminded Lord Furieux, that they were the minor branch, and not the other way around. Once that happened it was simple enough to have the lord take an extended journey to visit relatives in Italy.

Javona, his sister, had remained, and indeed seemed to desire far more of Sirius. Something he was certainly not against, though he'd have to make a few confessions first.

"Welcome back my Lord Black." Javona said from a comfortable chair she'd placed near the arrival point. "Was your endeavor successful?"

"Yes, yes it was." He said and took her hand, gently kissing the back of her knuckles and then using it to help her stand. "Come with me and I'll explain."

"Thank you Lord Black." Javona said and smiled brightly.

They proceeded to his quarters and a battle-scarred trunk in the corner. The trunk was banded with black iron, blood runes adorning much of the surface. He placed his hand flat upon the top and commanded it to open.

"Inside." He ordered, voice firm and commanding.

Suddenly fearful she trembled but complied and descended into the goblin war trunk.

She was standing at the base of the ladder when he started down himself. She calmed considerably, now that he was inside with her and had not simply closed and sealed it with her down here.

The room had simple wooden doors on three sides and a narrow corridor on the fourth. He tapped the middle door and pushed it open.

Reluctantly she followed him inside the well-appointed bedroom and waited.

He removed a doll from an inner pocket of his robe and placed it on the bed. A quick wave of his wand and Bellatrix was returned to her normal, seventeen year old, size and the stasis was removed.

Though she now breathed, and her perfect breasts rose and fell, she otherwise remained still.

"This one of Narcissa's sisters. You've heard of her, Bellatrix."

Javona gasped, put her hand over her mouth and stepped back.

"Apparently when her betrothal contract was signed, with Lestrange, it included a binding that made her a complete slave of first her husband, and then the Dark Lord. As you can see she no longer has the Dark Mark on her arm, and is in fact young. When the goblins removed the bonds, they discovered she had lost all of her memories from the time the contract was signed. I paid for an elixir of youth to return her body to the same age."

"Why is she nude?"

"Why shouldn't she be nude? She's mine." He said and ignored her angry look to continue his story.

"I went to Azkaban the other day and removed her from there, that was easy enough, but then I lost track of her once we were back on the island. It took me a few hours to locate her and capture her once again."

Sirius sat on one of the chairs, still staring at the rising and falling breasts displayed before him.

"There is a third sister, Andromeda, she's a healer and I've sent for her to join us here."

"So you can possess them all?" Javona said bitterly.

Surprisingly Sirius shook his head. "No. I've no desire for Andi. She's been bedding Remus for at least the last two years or so. No I want her to help explain things to Bellatrix. She's lost what, twenty years? I've got some vague plans of renaming her, or having her pick a new name, there's no way she'd be declared innocent. She was the most terrifying of the Dark Lord's minions."

"Lord Black." Javona said and stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the nude girl. "If you need me to, I'll claim she's Amanda's older sister. They're similar enough, and there is a distant blood relation. We'll just have to have the goblins fix the papers."

Sirius, who had scowled at the loss of tit-flesh in his view, smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Now, let's discuss us."

"Us?" she said, suddenly blushing and nervous.

"Yes. It's clear to me you desire a relationship. But I've got a few confessions to make." He frowned and grew silent for a moment before shaking his head and continuing. "First, I am unable to beget an heir. My time in Azkaban, or a condition from birth, I'm not precisely sure."

"Oh." She said, clearly looking disappointed.

Sirius continued to watch her eyes. "As such I've named my Godson, Harry Potter, my heir. As well as signing a betrothal contract between himself and the elder daughter of Malcolm Greengrass."

"Yes, I've read about that."

He nodded. "What isn't known by many yet, is that the Black family magic has claimed her as the Lady Black, the ring is no longer in the box. I cannot name another over her." He shrugged.

"How in the world?" Javona asked.

Sirius shrugged once again. "They were living in Black Manor in London and the house started defending her and responding to her. She's got the wards."

"She must be something." Javona finally admitted with a sad shake of her head.

"Yes. So that means no matter what I can't make you Lady Black, even if we someday wed, the family magic has nearly passed me by completely since I cannot continue the line."

"So, what will you do?" She said after a few moments of thought.

"I'll support my Godson." Then he giggled and turned the woman to look at the sleeping Bellatrix. "Look at what I've done. A day ago this girl was a woman whose very name terrified most of the world. Now she'll make a lovely little fuck-toy. She'll be happy, I'll be happy, and she'll learn to support my Godson." He was giggling almost uncontrollably by the time he was done.

"Oh." Javona said, still clearly unhappy with the way this conversation was going.

"And I've removed Narcissa from the Malfoy family. She may not have been branded, but much of the Malfoy gold came from my vault. Now it's been returned and Malfoy can't bribe nearly as many folks as last time."

"So I can't be Lady Black, I can't have your heirs. What can I have?" Javona asked bitterly.

"You can have the most erotic experience of your life. Imagine we're out to dinner, and I order you to climb under the table and suck me off. Right there, where everyone will know what you've done. And we'll modify your dresses, or get custom ones made. Those high-end designers always like to show off nipples and tits. I'll have dresses made that expose yours to the world. Perhaps cover them with a glamour, that I, and the goblins can see through. You'll know we're all leering at your bare tits. I can't imagine you'll go a moment without your cunt dripping juice down your legs and leaving a trail as you walk."

"Oh, Merlin." She said, eyes glazed and then she shivered at the very thought.

"I'm certain Remus will have Narcissa dress the same, won't that be incredible? Perhaps we'll start a new fashion trend in France. Tit's out! Imagine it. Hundreds of high-class women walking around with their tits swaying and jiggling."

She moaned and bit her lip.

He pulled his wand, but she snatched it from his hand before he could do anything with it. "What?" He asked.

"Lord Black!" She said, now clearly angry. "I am willing to help you hide an innocent, as she doesn't remember her crimes, and believes she is seventeen. She needs a guardian who is not after her body. And!" she paused to tap his nose with the base of his own wand. "You just freed her from twenty years of slavery. How can you even contemplate making her your slave? No, that will not happen. You are my Lord Black, but you are not a god. Without the ability to give any of us children, you're just a gigolo."

"But." He said and she cut him off again with another tap of his wand to his nose.

"No, you will listen to me Sirius Black. You are obviously not stable yet. You will attend your trial and be declared free, after that you will go back to the mental healers. Until I see you acting rationally…"

"Yes?" he asked eyebrows going up suggestively.

"OH, no you don't." She said and tapped his nose once again making him flinch back. "Until then I will be the one to watch over and guide this girl."

"Oh." He said, his eyebrows coming down.

"And." She said, flipping his wand to hold it correctly. "I will allow you to court me, properly, with dates and formalities of the French Court!"

}-{

"Professor Snape" came the timid voice from his doorway. He so loved how he terrified the students.

"Come, and close the door behind you." He barked.

The girl jumped but immediately did as he knew she would. Once she was down by his desk he looked up from his papers.

"It is good you are a few minutes early Miss Chang. Unlike your first attempt at attending my class. Come, we have much to."

He gestured for her to proceed him into his lab. Once inside he closed the door and sealed it against intrusion. "I am glad you remembered to bring your bag, carrying the collection jars would be a bit awkward. Strip Miss Chang." He ordered.

She trembled, but her hands went to work.

"There are certain potions ingredients that require very delicate measures to collect. You won't find them listed in most books, but every Master must learn them in order to make the most powerful of potions."

He paused, noted she was proceeding to remove her clothes at an acceptable rate, and continued.

"The only one many have heard of is virgin blood, and since you no longer qualify, that is one of the fluids we are not collecting."

She was down to her knickers, a plain white pair that were a bit too large for her slim frame. Her small breasts were bare, brown nipples tightening.

"Everything Miss Chang."

She hesitated only a moment longer and shucked the knickers.

"Stand here." He said, pointing to a pair of foot-stools that were placed beside one another.

She climbed onto them, having to spread her legs to put one foot on either stool.

"Put your hands together in the small of your back." He ordered and knelt in front of her.

Her mound held a light coating of black hairs, but more importantly he could smell her scent. Yes, she would do nicely. He ran a finger up her leg, collecting a bit of her leaking fluid and stood. She was crying, but trying to remain completely silent.

"This, is the first ingredient we are collecting." He said, holding his finger where she could see the slightly milky drop. "Now let's properly prepare you." A wave of his wand and she was lying on a conjured table. "Hold your ankles, open yourself wide."

While she complied, as he knew she would, he retrieved a special vial from his workbench. It was a little over two inches across and about an inch deep. "I will magically attach this to your opening, then it will collect every drop, and transfer it to a collection jar. But first I must remove the hairs, lest they contaminate the collection. Don't you agree Miss Chang?"

"Ye…. Um, yes Professor."

The spell he chose was not the least painful, in fact it caused a bit more pain than needed. The spell literally pulled all of her pubic hair out, roots and all, and killed the hair follicles. A process that took about a minute, but would last her lifetime. The hairs floated into another vial, they had their own uses.

"Do not move!" He ordered when she tried to close her legs to relieve some of the pain. "Stupid girl, you could ruin the collection. You don't want to do that do you?"

"No sir." She whimpered, clenching her jaw tightly.

Once her mound was clean he held the vial ready, cast a spell on it to verify it was clean, and pressed it against the open lips of her hole. It was designed to not cover her urethra or clitoris, the former would contaminate the collection and the latter would make it much harder to complete the collection in a timely manner.

A well-practiced spell sealed the vial to her tender flesh. She squealed at the brief pain. Then he tapped the vial and a brown glass jar, the pair glowed.

"There, now all of your fluids will be transferred into this for collection. Typically it takes a day for the jar to be filled, though there are rare specimens who manage it in half the average time."

The girl was still gripping her ankles tightly and had her eyes closed, this wouldn't do at all. "You may release your ankles and lie still. Be wary of the vial. You cannot break it but you may harm yourself."

"Professor, thank you." She said while she waited on the table.

He waved her off, "Your father is paying handsomely for this treatment, even with the discount I'm giving him for the collection you will need to be especially attentive so as not to raise my ire."

"Yes Professor. I'll do my best sir." She said.

Snape went to one of the cauldrons, pouring a goblet full of the pink liquid. His eyes raked her body from toes to udders. Her face and figure were appealing, but her udders were barely there and clearly defective. "Your chest looks precisely the same size as your first year, no wonder your father wants you corrected. Sit up."

Her eyes stung as tears leaked from them at the insult.

"You will drink this every ten days, today will be a double dose, to get you started."

The goblet was filled to the brim, but she drank it down quickly so as not to cause him to grow angry with her. The potion was surprisingly bland, but it started burning almost immediately afterwards. She was just able to gulp the last dregs when the pain made her cringe.

Shape snatched the goblet from her trembling hands and verified that she had drunk it. "Good, you may lay back down the table."

She fell back onto the table, twisting to her side, as another pain wracked through her chest.

"Lie on your back."

When she was lying still he placed two green glass jars on the table, one to either side of her hips. Then he came back with a pair of glass caps.

"These will be attached to your teats. They will transfer the milk to the jars, you must keep all three of these jars within four meters of yourself. Do you understand?"

She nodded quickly, her chest was burning so much she couldn't have spoken had she wanted to.

Snape cast several spells on her teats, they stretched to over an inch long and became swollen. Then he placed the caps over them and they sunk into the glass. He tapped each cap and jar pair with his wand and they glowed.

"There, they are set. The first session will start in two hours that will give the potion enough time to force your udders to grow and begin to make milk. You will remain here until after that first session ends. You must return each day to swap the jars for a new set."

Cho nodded yet again, the burning had subsided a bit, but had been replaced with the pain from her nipples. She hoped she got used to that soon.

"This year your udders will grow to a C cup, next year we will proceed to Double-D, which is the size your father wishes you to be."

Cho Chang gave a nod, she'd hoped it would all be over this year, but now it appeared she was in for two years of torture.

"You may wish lie there for a few more minutes." He said and went back to his potions table.

Cho groaned the glass caps on her nipples were not nearly as heavy as she'd thought they would be, but they continued to pull on her. Looking at them, her nipples were still stretched a full inch inside of them. _Well what's done is done._ She thought.

"What about my monthlies?" she asked while she lay there.

"The potion makes your body believe you are with child. Until you cease to take it your monthlies will not occur. You should not experience the nausea, though may still have hormonal moods. I also recommend you do not attempt any relationships during this process. I will not remove the collection devices until the end of the year."

"Yes, Professor." She said, her eyes still leaking tears. She had a perfect excuse not to have any relationships, her boyfriend had died beside Harry Potter.

"Miss Chang? You may dress. Make yourself productive while we wait for your first cycle to begin and brew those four potions."

"Yes, Professor." Cho said and climbed from the table.

}-{

Bellatrix groaned and rolled onto her side. She luxuriated in the feeling of the soft sheets against her bare skin. Merlin she loved her own bed.

"Bellatrix?" a woman's voice called softly and her eyes shot open, the squawk of protest escaping her lips made her blush in embarrassment more than the fact that someone was in her room and she was nude.

She was sitting in the chair at her desk, looking elegant and in control. For a minute she thought it was her great aunt Dorea Black, but she was far too young.

"What are you doing in my room?" She hissed out, holding the sheets tightly to her body.

"What is the last thing you remember?" She asked, instead of explaining her presence.

Her brow scrunched in thought. "I'm not sure why you would need to know such, but my seventeenth birthday was yesterday. I signed my betrothal to Rodolphus."

The woman shook her head. "Amazing. I'm afraid that actually happened quite a few years ago Bellatrix. Apparently the Lestranges worked a curse into the contract that Lord Arcturus Black missed. You were immediately subservient to your betrothed and your mind suppressed. The goblins figured it out, and with the assistance of a Barrister, and Lord Sirius Black, we annulled your betrothal contract and marriage. You are once again Bellatrix Black."

"I don't believe you." She said firmly.

Instead of arguing with her she nodded. "I did not expect you to, that will take a little time. Your sister Andromeda will be here soon to help you understand what happened and assist you in your recovery. Physically the goblins have put you to rights, but your sister should be able to convince you that I'm speaking the truth."

"Why?"

"Because you did horrible things under that curse." She stood, Bellatrix flinched away. "You are safe here. There are clothes in the wardrobe, an elf will bring you food shortly. Rest, your sister will be here tomorrow."

"Wait, who are you?"

"I am Javona Furieux, my brother is Lord Furieux. We are the French branch of the House of Black. But your cousin, Sirius, is Lord Black. He is in residence and ultimately responsible for freeing you. In the not-too-distant future, I may become Consort Black."

"My little cousin is Lord Black?" Bella said.

"He is." Javona said and moved towards the door, but paused and turned back to Bellatrix. "You will have to come up with a new name, I'll likely have to claim you as one of my daughters. I have two, Amanda who is sixteen and Circe thirteen. My consort passed away a few years ago and I moved back in with my brother."

The woman left without another word. When she was gone a platter appeared on the table near her bed. She stood, holding the sheets to her body, then rushed to the door and threw the bolt to lock it. Only then, leaning against the door, did she notice this couldn't possibly be her bedroom. There were no windows for one, and the furniture was completely different. But it had the feel of her room regardless.

Two steps got her to the wardrobe, inside were new clothes of designs she didn't recognize. She found under-clothes in the drawer and quickly got dressed, discovering that her body was not quite as she remembered it. There wasn't a single mirror in the room, and her wand was conspicuous in its absence. Her breasts were larger and sagged a bit, not much, but certainly they were no longer the perky melons she recalled. She was still thin, but her skin had some scars she did not remember, though there wasn't an age-wrinkle to be seen. Even her face felt smooth and perfect.

Regardless she felt healthy and vigorous. How long had she been ensorcelled?

Her stomach forced her to put that thought away for now. She sat at the table and removed the cover from the meal. Roast pheasant and spring potatoes greeted her. She made short work of them, and the accompanying bread and fruit juice.

What in Merlin's name had happened to her? And why was there not a single mirror in the chamber? She felt her face, there were no obvious scars, clearly she had not been disfigured. The only clues she really had to go on was that Sirius was at least old enough to be Lord Black, and she was two years older than him.

Her nose scrunched, how could she not remember her life?

As Javona had said Lord Black had broken her marriage to Rodolphus, what if she had children? How old were they?

"Oh, Merlin." She groaned and hugged herself. "Andi, I need you!"

}-{

Pandemonium had overtaken Hogwarts. Such was the effect of an immortal man walking its halls. He looked no older than mid-twenties, and stood halfway between five and six feet. He was well-muscled and his skin was bronzed from the sun.

He exuded confidence and always seemed to bear a smirk upon his face. Wandering through the halls just before breakfast, like the Pied-Piper, he was trailed by dozens of students.

Seemingly at random, he came to a classroom and walked inside. There he busied himself with setting it up for his use. Most of those following him were too terrified to enter, and hung back in the hallway.

"Mr. Flamel?" Hermione asked as she walked through the crowd, Harry and Daphne close behind her.

It may have been Harry's famous scar, or the fact that he had a sword with a glowing ruby over his shoulder, regardless, the immortal man stopped in the midst of pulling items from a bottomless bag.

His grin returned in a flash and the door banged closed behind them. The protests from those in the hallway died off as a silencing spell took effect. "I was hoping to speak with you." He said, seemingly addressing all three of them.

"We wanted to talk to you about what happened here with your stone a few years ago." Hermione continued with her prepared dialogue.

The immortal man nodded, "Certainly, have a seat. Penny will be here in a moment."

The trio sat behind a desk, with Harry in the middle. In a sudden flash of fire, Perenelle Flamel arrived with a Phoenix on her shoulder.

"Thank you Ptolemy." Perenelle said and the bird crooned a soft note before flying to a perch at the opposite end of the room. "Finally sort out the ICW?" she asked and kissed her husband on the cheek in greeting.

"For now." He said with a shrug and turned to face the three students. "I apologize, Lord Potter, Heir Black, Consort Potter and Lady Black. There are several things we must discuss."

Perenelle sat on the teachers desk and pulled a black notebook from Nicholas' bag. She quickly flipped to a marked page and nodded. "Yes, four of them."

"Really?" Nicholas asked but didn't wait for clarification before returning his attention to the students. "The four of you are in the midst of forming a soul bond. Should we fetch the person not present?"

"Mr. Flamel?" Hermione asked and then continued when he seemed receptive to a question. "Can you explain what a soul bond is?"

"Certainly." He said, but looked to his wife who frowned briefly at him.

"It is a mental and magical connection between individuals. Nicholas and I share one. It allows us to share thoughts with one another and, utilize one another's magical reserves. The three of you, along with Lady McKinnon, are on the verge of that connection."

"Oh." Harry said and then thought for a moment, looking to either of the ladies on his side before voicing his thoughts. "A few days ago I had a dream, in which I was Hermione, and I witnessed a conversation between her and Daphne from back in our third year."

Hermione grabbed his arm sitting up straighter, "I had that dream the other night."

"Yes, that's what we're talking about. You are beginning to share thoughts." Nicholas said.

"And I know I've heard his thoughts on at least two occasions." Daphne said.

"Yes, so have I." added Hermione.

"Should we add Lady McKinnon to this discussion?" Nicholas asked.

"She's teaching a class in fifteen minutes. And we need to get to ours before then as well." Daphne said.

Nicholas nodded. "Very well. We will continue this at another time. In regards to the incident with our stone, thank you for your efforts on our behalf, though the stone in question was a defective one." He winked at them and with a gesture the door popped open.

}-{

Bellatrix had quickly become bored with her chamber. She'd ventured outside briefly, discovering a small square room, with two other doors, a hallway, and a ladder leading up to a hatch she couldn't open.

The two doors also proved unwavering to her efforts, though she presumed they were also bedrooms by the natures of the doors. Down the hall, it split into a storage chamber and potions lab. Both looked fairly well stocked, but untouched in ages. She left them both undisturbed.

Back in her chamber she tried meditation, as there were no books or newspapers to assist her in learning about the world.

Meditation had been a skill her family had valued highly, as it led to the higher mind arts. Arts which she had never really managed to master, but was still well-versed in the lessons that should get her there.

Never having been allowed solitude to pursue the time needed, she tried to take advantage of the present situation. Supposedly her sister, who should appear much older than she last recalled, would be here in a day.

Another meal appeared on her table, it was a hearty stew with a loaf of French bread a tall pitcher of water, and an empty glass goblet. She busied herself with consuming it.

She'd left her door open to the central chamber, just so she could hear anyone coming before they arrived. When there was a scraping of something opening and a bustle of fabric, she hurried to see what was happening.

A girl was climbing down the ladder, she wore a fairly formal dress, that made the ladder difficult to manage. In fact she'd just stepped on the fabric instead of the ladder rung and slipped.

She screamed.

Bellatrix didn't hesitate, she lurched forward and caught the girl. Together they collapsed to the floor, Bellatrix managing to control it enough so they both simply sat down hard instead of what it could have been. She wanted to speak immediately, to reassure the girl, but found it difficult with her sitting on her stomach.

"Oh!" the girl said instead and twisting, surged to her feet. "Sorry." She said and immediately came back to kneel beside her rescuer who was struggling to regain her breath. "Thank you, are you hurt?"

Bellatrix could only shake her head as she struggled to re-fill her lungs.

The girl helped her sit up and then sat beside her to gently hold her while she recovered. "I'm ever so sorry." She said and then waited for her rescuer to be able to respond.

"Alright." Bella managed, after three aborted attempts, a minute or so later.

"I'm Amanda Furieux, are you Bellatrix?"

"Yes, can you tell me what's going on? I've only just woken here earlier and have no recollection of arriving." Looking up the hatch was again closed at the top of the ladder. "Can we get out?" She added when she noticed that.

"Oh," she said, looking up herself. "Darn, it closed." Then looking back at Bellatrix she frowned. "No, I can't open it. Lord Black let me in and then left. We better go sit in your room and wait."

Bellatrix sighed, but moved back into her room, resuming her seat by her mostly consumed meal.

Once seated Amanda continued. "I know some, yes. You spoke with my mother. She said we're probably going to pretend that you're my older sister. I've never had an older sister, always been the older one."

"I'm the older sister." Bellatrix said. "Andromeda was born next and then Narcissa, both are younger."

Amanda's nose scrunched down when she mentioned Narcissa and she briefly scowled before controlling her expression.

"What did Cissy do?"

Amanda looked down at her hands and scrunched her brow in thought. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say."

"Please? I don't know anything, not even what year it is."

With an expressive sigh, Amanda looked up and nodded. "Sure, why not? Sisters need to share, right?"

"Yes, especially little sisters." Bellatrix said with an infectious smile.

"First, the year is 1995, September 10th to be exact." Amanda said and then stopped when her new, older sister, went pale.

"Really?" she said after a moment. When Amanda nodded she continued. "I was born in 1951. How old do I look? There's no mirror here."

Now it was Amanda who looked shocked and pale.

"How old do I look?" Bellatrix demanded, grasping the girl's hand.

"Um, wow. Not much older than me." She managed to say. "With makeup and the right clothes, you might pass for nineteen."

"Really?" she asked and received a nod in reply. "Alright, then. I guess. Keep going."

"Well, let's see. We're in France, on the Riviera, in the Black Chateau, or as we call it, Chateau Furieux. My uncle is Lord Furieux, but Lord Black sent him to Italy for the next few months. He wasn't happy with the deal he made with your sister."

"Ah, and we get to why you are angry with my sister."

Amanda nodded. "Yes." She said but then found herself unable to continue for a moment. Taking the half-full goblet of water, she finished it to give herself a minute to think and then the words rushed out. "Narcissa has a son, named Draco. He's fifteen, she made a deal with Lord Furieux, to swap bodies with me for a month, then spent that month in bed with her son. As me. I'm pregnant with his child."

Bellatrix had a lot to ponder about that statement, not least of which was whether or not she had any children of her own. Instead she took the girl's hand and waited patiently for her to recover.

Amanda smiled, before sitting upright again. "I've gotten my revenge on her though. You see, for that month I was in her body."

"And you got her pregnant?" Bellatrix said.

With a nod and a grin, Amanda continued. "Not only that, but it's with twins. The father is a werewolf."

Bellatrix cringed back, suddenly terrified. Her parents had long told them tales of Fenrir Greyback who killed innocents for fun and turned children into beasts. "Who?"

"Remus Lupin, Lord Black's best friend." Amanda supplied with a smile and a smirk.

"I take it from your smile, that he's not a beast."

"He certainly can be, but most of the time he's a very kind master."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, sorry." Amanda said. "When I first approached him, I was in your sister's body. I wanted him to possess her, so acted like his slave, and he my master. It's a role he took to with decided vigor."

She trailed off and looked sad. "He wasn't too happy when I confessed that I wasn't in my own body. But he accepted me as his mistress, even after the swap back to my own body. Your sister, Lord Black bound to him for the next twenty years. She'll bear him more children. And my next child will be his."

Bellatrix took the water and poured the goblet full with trembling hands. She spilled a bit at the start, but managed to get most of it in the cup. What had she awoken to?

"What's to happen to me?" she said after carefully sipping the water.

Amanda shrugged. "Well, my mother's declared herself your guardian. Without Lord Furieux around to give her orders, she's fairly independent. And Lord Black seems to be courting her, or she's told him he can. I'm not really sure which, but she is rather smug about it."

"So I'm not someone's slave?"

"No." Amanda said confidently. "Lord Black allowed me to come down to talk to you about this. As he put it; 'get to know my older sister.'"

"And when is my sister Andromeda arriving?"

The girl shrugged, "I was told tomorrow. It's just dinner time now." She added a quick gesture to the remains of Bellatrix's meal.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Saturday found Daphne searching the school for her sister, she located her in the library, studying with another Slytherin. "Story, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." She said, getting up. "I'll be back shortly Stephanie. Keep an eye out for the others please."

"Alright," the other girl said, watching Daphne warily. She well knew her reputation and didn't want to get on her bad side.

Sequestered in a nook between two crooked book shelves, and behind two privacy wards, Daphne hugged her sister. "I'm worried about you."

"Nott's been watching me more than usual." Astoria said as she pulled back from the hug. "I always have Aunt M's bracelet on and I'm paying attention."

"Good." Daphne said with a nod. "Watch out for not only him, but Zabini too. Stay safe, and with your classmates if you can. Do I need to threaten them?"

Astoria shrugged her slight shoulders. "He hasn't done anything. But rumor is he's got a mission from You-Know-Who." She shivered at the thought that she might be that mission.

"Yeah." Daphne said and put her arm around her sister again. "That's what I'm worried about. You've not had the training I have. You run to Aunt M. or us if you get scared."

"Yes." She tried to prevent her tears, but they fell anyway. "Sorry." She said as she tried to dry her cheeks.

"We'll do everything we can. You know we will."

The younger sister nodded, but then looked up to meet her ice-grey eyes. "But that's probably what they're expecting. What if they kidnap me, just to lure you, or Aunt M., out of the castle?"

"Then we'll make them pay for thinking we're easy to deal with." Daphne said firmly, her eyes locked with her only sibling.

Buoyed by her sister's confidence, Astoria nodded. "Alright. I'll be careful, but you should too."

"Always Sis." She said and broke the privacy ward.

When they got back to the table Ginny and Luna had taken the empty chairs, but an oppressive silence lingered between the three girls.

"Gin, Luna!" Astoria said brightly, breaking the tension. "You came. Thank you."

"Of course." Ginny said with a cautious smile. She faltered when she noticed Daphne, but the smile didn't fall, instead she added a nod in the elder Greengrass sister's direction.

"Are all of you doing well?" Daphne asked, standing close to Luna who bore the Black family crest on her robe.

"Yes," they replied, but Luna seemed to be less enthusiastic than before so she knelt down.

"Luna. Do you need anything?"

The young girl slowly shook her head, tears threatening to fall. "I just miss my father. Thank you Lady Black."

Daphne lightly gripped her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything we can do about that."

"I know, thanks."

With a gentle squeeze of the girl's shoulder, Daphne stood. "Have a good weekend girls. Stay safe." She added and walked to the table Harry, Hermione, and Pansy had claimed for their study session.

}-{

"Is she alright?" Harry asked as Daphne joined them at the table.

"Story is worried she'll be bait for a trap, to catch us, but is being cautious. Luna misses her father, otherwise seems to be doing well."

"Where do you think Tracey is?" Hermione asked, pulling her attention from the book in front of her.

"Probably in the common room."

"Do you want me to tell her to meet you?" Pansy offered.

"Not yet, let's not tip anyone off about that yet." Daphne said with a slow shake of her head.

"We'll keep an eye out for her." Harry said and put his hand on her thigh.

"Yeah, let's focus on this golem thing." Daphne said.

Harry moved a parchment in front of her with a diagram on it. "What do you think of this then?"

"A pit? But won't it just dig its way out?"

"Can it do that?"

Daphne shrugged. "What's the description say?"

Hermione pushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "That they follow the instructions of their creator. So I assume if the creator gives it instructions for dealing with a pit, it will follow it."

"Wait." Harry said and sat back in his chair holding his hands up.

"What?" Pansy asked when he didn't immediately explain himself.

"We're thinking about this all wrong."

"How should we think about it?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

"First, who is programming this golem? Second, what are its instructions?"

"Oh." Hermione and Pansy said while Daphne snaked a quick hand behind his neck to pull him into a gentle kiss.

"Well done." She said when they parted, though Harry seemed to have lost his train of thought.

"So who created the golem?" Pansy asked, flipping back a page in Hermione's book.

"A Jewish Priest, in the fifteen hundreds." Hermione said before she could locate the passage.

"So do we need a priest to make this one?"

"Oh, good question."

"Does it say anything about non-priests making one?" Harry asked.

"No, not a word."

"And typically they are instructed to defend?" Pansy read from the book. "At least the two referenced here were, to guard a temple and a… What's a ghetto?"

"I think it's a section of a city where the Jewish people lived." Hermione said.

"We're off track." Daphne said. "Lady McKinnon said that it was running amuck and we had to stop it from reaching the castle."

"Yes, good point. So back to the pit idea?"

"No Harry." Hermione said. "I think we take our clues from the text here. What's it say about deactivating it Pansy?"

The Slytherin girl laughed nervously, having shifted Hermione's book in front of herself. "Um, well two things. Either there is a pendant or parchment in its mouth that makes it active, or there is a word written on its forehead. Remove the thing in its mouth or erase the first letter of the word."

"Yes." Hermione said with a nod, "I think we should try those first."

"And then the pit?" Harry asked enthusiastically.

"Only if those don't seem to be working." Daphne said and shared a look with the other girls that clearly said; 'men!'

"Wait!" Harry said brightly. "Won't I have my sword? They can't keep me from bringing it can they?"

"Harry, you're not going to attack the golem with your sword." Hermione said slowly.

"But why not?" he asked.

"Oh, stop it you three." Pansy said. "It's sickening how sweet you all are to one another. Even I can tell you're just doing this to get a rise out of your ladies Potter."

"Darn," he said while both of his ladies looked like they'd been caught out.

"So, for roles during this." Pansy said, ignoring the boy's goofy grin. "We need to each have a task, to get credit. How are we going to try to get the thing out of its mouth? Or erase the letter?"

"Well, typically golems are made of mud." Daphne said. "If it's a word, then fill the letter in with more mud, thus erasing it."

"Can we just summon it?" Harry asked. "I mean if it's something in its mouth."

"We need to know what it's called to summon it. Thing in the thing's mouth won't work." Hermione said.

"Got it!" Harry said brightly leaning back and gesturing broadly. "We make a pit…"

The three ladies groaned.

"No, wait, hear me out. Once it's in the pit, which gets it underground to the neck, we fill in the pit, then we can just walk up to the head and pull whatever it is out!"

Silence from his table companions greeted his proclamation.

"Perhaps a pit has merit." Daphne said softly a minute later, eliciting a slow nod from Hermione.

Pansy seemed to be trying to determine if they were joking around again.

}-{

"Damn it Blaise." Tracey cursed the boy.

"I'm trying." He said, rubbing his half-hard cock.

She wouldn't stand for this. The first boy she'd had sex with, her third cousin, was six years older than her, and had creamed himself when she touched him. She'd even still had her clothes on, where now she was nude and had tried to act sexy. This idiot had to be a poof! She found her wand and cast an engorgement spell on his tiny cock.

"Hey!" He said loudly. "That can cause permanent harm." He protested.

"Oh, shut it. If you were half-a-man I wouldn't have to do this." She cast a second spell on him and his, now enlarged cock, grew rock hard. "There, that's much better."

"Oh, Merlin. What is this?" Blaise protested.

"It's what I need you idiot. Now shove that into me and fuck me hard."

Blaise seemed to want to protest further, so she hit him with a compulsion charm.

"You want to fuck me, until you pass out." She said.

That seemed to do it, the boy finally reached for her and jammed his engorged cock roughly into her cunt. _She'd have to be more careful choosing a boyfriend next time, Blaise was a pretty boy, but didn't deliver where it counted. He lacked both the hardware and the right attitude._ _Damn, how did Daph get so lucky?_ She wondered.

Even with spells, the boy failed at every turn. After barely an hour he was completely useless. She'd only gotten a pair of climaxes out of all her effort.

Several cleaning spells got his stench off of her body and clothes, then she dressed and left the unused classroom. Her one concession to the boy was a notice-me-not spell on the closed door. That should give him plenty of time to wake up and sort himself out, without anyone finding him nude.

 _She really needed an older boyfriend, preferably one on the Quidditch team. It was a good thing the Claws were having their try-outs today._ She thought and headed down to the pitch to find herself a more manly boyfriend.

}-{

It was three more days before they were able to arrange another meeting with the Headmaster. Neville had been called away on Saturday by his gran, who'd made arrangements with Ollivander to see him on the weekend. He returned with a new, unicorn and yew wand that he was very eager to try out in class.

The Headmaster's office was arranged the same as the first attempt at the meeting, with a long table occupying most of the room. A small feast was promised prior to the business being addressed. For now several tea services were along the length of the table.

Harry settled first Hermione and then Daphne into a chair before taking the one between them for himself. Marlene and Valerie were across from them, the latter now looking fully recovered from her injuries. They wouldn't know for a bit over three weeks if she was infected or not.

The Flamels, now aware that Harry was not openly known as Marlene's consort, sat beside them looking well-pleased with themselves for some reason.

Susan was beside Hermione, with Neville beyond her.

Just as the group settled, the door opened again and Severus Snape strode in.

"Why is he here?" Harry asked sharply.

"Because I trust him." Dumbledore said and lifted his tea to his lips.

"Professor." Daphne said, looking coldly at her former Head of House. "Are your loyalties to your Godson?"

"Hold your tongue!" The Potions Master spat.

"Stop that, both of you." Marlene said loudly, half-rising from her seat across from Harry. She met her niece's eyes first and after she bowed her head the Hit Witch turned her attention to her fellow instructor. "Severus Tobias Snape, your magic reeks of that foul creature. You are but a breath from falling into the abyss."

"Lady McKinnon." Dumbledore said. "Since I am allowing your guests to participate in this meeting, you will allow mine."

"On your head then." Lady McKinnon said and sat without further protest.

Neither of the Flamels seemed to feel the conversation was worth their time, instead they poured one another a cup of tea, looking like a love-struck couple, instead of having been together for centuries.

The Headmaster cleared his throat, and then motioned for Professor Snape to have a seat at the table. Their food arrived moments later and each of them busied themselves with small talk and consuming the excellent offerings. Twenty minutes later the plates were being cleared away and fresh pots of tea and water appeared.

"I believe I'll start this." Hermione said and stood. "If that's alright with everyone?" she added nervously looking at the Headmaster.

"Proceed." He said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Very well. We are here to discuss how to permanently kill Tom Riddle." The brilliant one continued.

The Headmaster choked on his tea, leaning forward he quickly recovered, his ever-present twinkle had vanished from his eyes. Susan and Neville looked confused, and Snape looked constipated, she explained. "Tom Riddle was Head Boy in the fifties, he became Voldemort."

Snape looked like he was nearing the state of catatonic, in the vicinity of its capital, insanity.

Albus Dumbledore seemed not far behind him on his journey. He sat in silence, his jaw open, eyes unfocused.

Hermione ignored them to continue her explanation. "Tom Riddle, created multiple items in which a portion of his soul is kept. Three of them have been destroyed. I am aware of three more, one within this very castle."

"Miss know-it-all..." Professor Snape said in a breathless whisper.

"Where?" Marlene said in a rather demanding tone, completely unlike their previous night in bed. Though they had discussed these in the past, the Hit Witch had no idea one was within reach.

"Seventh floor, in the room of hidden things. The diadem of Ravenclaw." Hermione said. "We'll use the Sword of Hope to destroy it." She added, pointing to the blade on Harry's back.

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore said after closing his eyes a moment. "How are you aware of this?"

Instead of answering directly she shared a long look with Harry, and then a brief one with Daphne. "We uncovered one of them in the Black Manor in London. It led us to the fact that the diary, which Lucius Malfoy gave to Ginny, was also one. Then we learned that Harry's scar contained a fragment of Tom's soul."

Only Harry and his ladies maintained their calm at that declaration.

"Why does this magic still exist?" Perenelle asked her husband who gave a long-suffering-shrug.

"Harry is free of the fragment." Hermione continued firmly. "Daphne and I destroyed it."

"What?" Several voices asked.

Snape scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "Impossible." He added when they looked at him.

Marlene raised one thin, blonde eyebrow. "Are you aware that you make no sense? One minute you complain that Consort Potter knows too much, the next that she can't possibly know anything. I've found that one ignores her knowledge at your own peril."

Harry was quite surprised that his older witch managed to say the whole thing without blushing or seeming to brag.

"What do we need to do?" Susan asked in the silence that followed Marlene's words.

"We must locate these items, determine if any more have been created. Destroy them all, then kill him." Daphne said firmly in her utterly cold voice, looking directly at the Headmaster as if daring him to protest her statement.

"You think you can do that girl?" Snape said, looking down his hooked nose at the Ice Queen.

Harry put a comforting hand on Lady Black's thigh. _This couldn't end well._ He thought.

Daphne slowly turned her head to face her former Head of House, while her left hand found his under the table and tightly inter-laced their fingers. "Yes, I do." She replied without any additional emotion in her tone.

"Please." Dumbledore said, though his purpose was not quite clear in using that particular word.

 _Whew._ Harry thought to himself. _No one was going to get bloody just yet._

 _Why is Snape such an idiot?_ He heard Hermione's voice in his head and his eyebrows shot up. That was the first time he'd consciously heard an actual thought from one of his ladies.

"Personally," Valerie said, pulling everyone's attention to her. "I'd like to see this for myself. We should probably wait until the first Hogsmeade weekend so most of the students are out of the castle, but then let's look through this room of hidden things and see if we can locate and destroy it."

"I'd like to do it sooner." Harry said, but shrugged. "Though, I see the reason for waiting."

The Headmaster removed his half-moon spectacles and rubbed his eyes before replacing them and speaking. "Miss Granger, where are the other two items you know of?"

"The first, Hufflepuff's Chalice, was entrusted to Bellatrix Lestrange. The second should be in the Gaunt home in Little Hanglington, it's their family ring."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, he seemed totally bewildered by the direction this conversation had gone. It took him almost a minute to focus on the conversation again. "I'm aware of the location of that home, though I would refer to it as a hovel or shack. Perhaps during the holiday break Lady McKinnon, Severus and Mrs. Norwood would accompany me there?"

Marlene slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid, I will be unable to participate."

"Why?" Dumbledore asked.

Marlene sighed. "Because I am with child, and cannot risk being near such evil at that point."

With a loud squeal, Valerie pounced on her friend and hugged her tightly. It was a few minutes later when the discussion resumed.

"Well, I'll be there." Valerie said, still smiling, "and Moody would love to join us."

"I shall make the inquiry." Dumbledore said, still a bit bemused by the woman's reaction to her friend's news.

"In the meanwhile we try to capture Bellatrix and see what she did with the Chalice." Marlene said.

"I'll call Madam Bones and make sure she knows we need information from her." Valerie said. "Hopefully she still remembers after all these years and won't be kissed on sight."

Harry could tell that both Dumbledore and Snape were deeply disturbed by the conversation, both were trying to hide it.

As the meeting broke up Nicholas cleared his throat. "If it's alright, Penny and I would like to meet briefly with Albus and Severus." Though it was delivered in the form of a request, the tone froze everyone in the room. Typically the immortal man was happy and his voice was warm and welcoming, this was utterly different and carried the weight of centuries.

"Of course." The Headmaster replied, as if he had a choice in the matter, he even managed a slight smile.

Snape was frozen, tea halfway to his lips, his dark eyes looked out from behind his greasy fringe.

"We will see you later then." Marlene said calmly and gestured for everyone to stand.

Harry quickly got to his feet and gave each of his ladies a hand with their chairs. Daphne seemed to be hiding her reaction behind a mask of indifference, while Hermione was clearly curious, but controlled enough not to speak out.

The teens, all in a suddenly somber mood, left the office and rode the moving stairs down and past the gargoyle.

}-{

"Bell?" Andromeda called as she knocked on the closed door. It was jerked open a moment later, revealing a young girl with jet-black tresses and violet eyes. "Merlin." She whispered and held her hand out.

"No." The girl croaked and tears flowed from her eyes.

"It's me Bell." Andromeda said and surged forward, encompassing her older sister in a warm hug.

"What's happened to you? You look like mum…" Bellatrix said a few minutes later when they managed to get themselves back under control.

"Nothing's happened to me, except for the passing of time. Let's sit." She said, gesturing into the room.

"Can we get out of here?" Bellatrix asked plaintively, looking at the ladder in the hall.

Andromeda shook her head slowly. "Not just yet Bell."

Reluctantly, the younger witch sat beside her sister on the bed, there not being a couch in the room for them to share.

"So, I've been told you don't remember anything since your betrothal. How true is that?"

"Mostly." Bellatrix said. "I remember a bit after that I think, maybe a day or so. But we were back at home. I think it all went blank after I slept."

"I've studied healing, but it seems like I should have studied the mind arts more for all the work my own family's been giving me." Andromeda said. "Well, that happened in 1968, it is currently 1995, which makes it about twenty seven years ago. That's a lot of memory to lose."

"But I can't look nearly as old as I should be, right?" Bellatrix said, beginning to panic. There was nothing worse for a teenager than to be old.

"No my darling sister." Andromeda said, smoothing her siblings beautiful hair back behind her ear and caressing her perfectly smooth cheek. "You're just like I remember. Absolutely breathtaking. The true prize of the Blacks."

Bellatrix blushed and looked away from her sister's glistening eyes.

"So, I've been told by Lord Black, that when he learned you had lost your memory, that he accepted an offer by the goblins for a potion of youth. Made by Nicholas Flamel, none-the-less. That's why you look how you did so long ago."

"What's happened in all this time? The first lady I met, Javona, said something about all of the terrible things I did. What have I done Andi?"

"Oh, my Bell." Andromeda said and pulled her crying sister into a hug before slowly letting them both fall to lie on the bed. "Cuddle with me, while I explain. It's not pleasant."

"But I… alright." Bellatrix said and scooted up further on the bed to get her legs atop it and lay beside her sister. "But first I need to know if I have any children."

"No," Andromeda said with a gentle shake of her head. "None that I'm aware of. I have a daughter, she's twenty-two. Cissy has a son, who is fifteen. That's it."

"Oh," Bellatrix said, looking lost and confused. "I thought I was required to bear at least three children in the first ten years of the contract. I know I remember that bit."

"Perhaps that explains some of what happened. You see about then you were no longer rational and tended to talk in a baby's voice when teasing others."

"Merlin, quit jumping around, tell it from the start." Bellatrix said in a harsh whisper.

"Alright Bell. After your wedding, you became a follower of the Dark Lord, known as Voldemort. Today we call him You-Know-Who, but you wouldn't remember that. Do you remember him recruiting those who wanted to preserve traditions?"

"Yes, I do. Most of Slytherin wanted to join him, their parents too. Ours donated a lot of money didn't they?"

"Yes. So, it got real bad. Not only the muggleborn or half-bloods were attacked, but the pure who opposed him. Including our great aunt Dorea and her husband Lord Potter. Well in '81 the Dark Lord tried to kill Dorea's grandson Harry Potter, who was only a toddler. He managed to kill Dorea's son James and his wife, a brilliant muggleborn girl named Lily. But when he tried to kill Harry, something happened and he was banished instead."

"Banished? Not killed?"

Andromeda shook her head. "He's back, went through a resurrection ritual about a year ago, before that apparently he was a wraith."

Bellatrix shivered and her arms tightened on her sister.

"Backing up a minute. Right after he was banished, you and your husband, along with his brother and little Crouch Junior, tried to kill the Longbottoms. You were all caught and sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"NO!" Bellatrix shouted in anger, but looking into her sister's eyes she deflated, knowing it was the truth.

Andromeda stroked her back gently and pulled her down beside her. "A few days later cousin Sirius was also sent to Azkaban for betraying the Potters, but he never got a trial. About a decade or so later he escaped, he's just now recovering and having an international trial to prove his innocence. He can't go back to England yet. But apparently he did sneak back into Azkaban and free you. Two days after that the Dark Lord razed the prison and freed all of the prisoners."

After a few minutes of silence Bellatrix found her voice. "And Sirius is Lord Black? Who is Lady Black? It wasn't that woman I spoke to, she said she hoped to be Consort Black.

"Alright, this gets a little convoluted. Siri can't make babies, so he appointed his godson, Harry Potter, as his heir. He also signed a betrothal contract for Harry to marry the oldest Greengrass girl, Daphne. She is Lady Black. The family magic has accepted her, Siri told me the ring is gone from the box, so she must be wearing it at Hogwarts."

"But the Potter boy would be Lord Potter wouldn't he?"

"Yes, and he has a Consort Potter, his best friend Hermione."

"What in Merlin's name happened to our family? How many Blacks are still around?"

"Perhaps a dozen, including mine and Cissy's children. As to what happened, that Dark Lord, tried to kill off everyone who opposed him. And those who were fighting back, were killing his followers too."

Bellatrix was nearly hyperventilating, but with Andromeda's soothing words she managed to come back to reality and have a long cry with her sibling.

}-{

Hermione had a problem, and it wasn't one she had anticipated. In all her myriad planning and preparing, she'd made a basic assumption that was now proven incorrect. The problem was Susan Bones, or more specifically, her innate grasp of healing.

The brilliant witch had placed that responsibility for their group upon her own shoulders. Harry and Daphne were both offensively focused, and had incredible reaction times. Neither seemed to hesitate to act when a threat presented itself. Currently Harry lagged behind the Ice Queen, she had years of tutelage under her aunt. Though he was rapidly making up for that deficit by exercising and practicing hard.

With the introduction of the three Artifacts of Light, their dynamics had changed, and would continue to as Harry and Susan learned more about their artifacts.

She let out a frustrated sigh and checked the time with a quick tempus spell. She still had two hours before curfew. The library was fairly crowded, with students from all houses working on homework. Daphne had gone searching for her friend Tracey a few hours ago. Harry was meeting with Neville in the front courtyard. Both would be back in their suite by curfew at the latest.

Well, if not healing she would have to focus more on defense and more exotic threats. The defense part, she was fairly well versed in, there wasn't a spell that she'd been unable to cast since her introduction to the wizarding world. The Patronus Charm had been the most difficult to master, but with all of the joy and happiness currently in her life she could now cast it with ease.

"There you are." Harry said from a dozen feet away. He quickly approached her table in the back of the library and knelt beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked, with a scary tremble in his voice that immediately got her attention.

"Harry, I'm fine. What's wrong? Did something happen with Daph or Lene?" she asked, half-standing.

His hand went to her forearm, he was cold and trembling. "No, they're fine."

"Then what's wrong Love?" she asked gently, shifting and re-seating herself, so she could face him and put her free hand on his cheek.

Harry was able to calm himself once their eyes met. "I love you more than Daphne or Marlene." He suddenly whispered and closed his eyes as though scared she would react badly to his statement.

"Love," Hermione said and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. "We need to get to our suite and discuss this. Give me a minute to pack." She stood and sent the reference books back to the stacks and quickly organized her noted and shouldered her bag. Less than a minute after making the statement she stood and interlocked her fingers with his.

Daphne had not made it back to their suite before them, so they had the privacy she felt they needed for this conversation.

She dropped her bag and unstrapped his sword, hanging it on the hook near the bed, and leading him to the couch. He followed her without protest, but also without much of his usual spark. To hopefully counteract that she sat him down and then straddled his lap, tucking her legs outside of his.

Harry definitely perked up at the position he suddenly found himself in. His hands went to her hips and she put hers together behind his neck.

"What caused your reaction love." She asked.

"Um, well I was talking to Neville. He asked how I manage with the two of you, you know Susan needs him to have a spouse for the Longbottom line before she can take him as Consort for Bones?"

"Yes, it's very similar to our situation."

"So anyway, I realized as we were talking that I've been slighting you."

She raised a curious eyebrow and waited for him to explain further.

"Well, anyway, I've been giving far more attention to Daphne in bed, and was suddenly terrified that you thought I loved her more than you."

"No, love." Hermione said and closed the distance between their torso's, now pressed firmly against him she claimed his mouth, not pushing him, but tenderly leading him back to her.

When they separated a few minutes later his grin was just as broad as her own.

"We discussed this love, with two of us, and now three, it's hard for us to receive equal attention. The last few times we all had sex with you, you were utterly exhausted. I don't want you to feel you have to do the same things with each of us, every night. Certainly not Harry."

"But you and Lene had to…"

"Love, when you went all caveman on Daph, I was right there with you. I came when she did, but I don't think I can handle the same treatment. She likes that, I'm not against trying it a few times, but I'm perfectly content. Not just with you, but with Marlene and Daphne sharing our bed."

"So it's alright?"

"Yes." She said, added a quick head-bob and threw in a kiss as well to reassure him. "Marlene and I were able to satisfy one another just fine. And if you want to spend tonight with me, or Lene, I'm certain the other pair will do the same."

"Oh,"

"And Harry, don't feel concerned about how much you love each of us. I'm both comfortable and confident that the four of us will be together for over a century. You're stuck with us."

"Thank you." He said and jumped when the door to their suite flew open.

It closed a second later with a loud bang and Daphne was on the couch, glomped onto them both, tears marring her porcelain cheeks.

"What happened?"

It took the pair of them several minutes to get Daphne calmed down enough for her to speak. "My gut's been twisted into knots for the last hour. The angst coming from you for the last hour or so, was terrible." She said into Harry's neck.

"Sorry." The ashamed Boy-Who-Lived said as his own tears dripped down his cheeks.

"Daph, it's alright." Hermione said calmly. "Harry was concerned that we wouldn't feel loved if he wasn't able to love each of us equally."

"What?" Daphne said, lifting her head and looking at him in confusion. "Didn't we discuss this? Was that what was twisting my guts so?"

"Yes," Hermione said and gently kissed Harry's cheek and then capturing his lips to reassure him once again that she was there and content.

"Oh." Daphne said and relaxed into the couch. "I couldn't tell, but I knew the emotions I was feeling were not mine, and that one of you was hurting. So I went to see Aunt M, she was fine, just working on grading papers. Then I rushed here."

"I'm sorry." Harry said once again.

"Oh, kiss some sense into him." Hermione said and nudged her blonde companion.

The Lady Black was quick to do so, and did it at an achingly tender pace that was far removed from their rough coupling the previous night.

"We love you Harry." Hermione said while they continued to kiss. "And we love one another, that's all we really need at the moment."

}-{


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

"It is said that Merlin was the last of the druids." Perenelle began her lecture for their second History of Magic class. "That statement is both right, and wrong. It is wrong, in that it implies he was not around at their inception, and that couldn't be further from the truth."

The immortal woman strode around the front of the room, eyes half-closed as she spoke, hands lifted as though in supplication to some ancient god.

"Merlin taught the first Druids how to perform ritual magic, harnessing the power stored within the earth itself. In fact, my Godson has spent his entire existence teaching and pushing humanity forward. It is he who sparked the first fire, in the dim reaches of the past. He who literally pulled the world from the dark ages by starting the Renaissance."

She paused to sip from a clear goblet of water, her audience completely stunned by these revelations. She ignored them, lost in her own memories, to continue.

"The statement is right in that there are no other druids still walking the earth, thus he is the last of them. The Druids and their rituals, became the focus of civilization here in the isles. It was they who were behind the construction of the Henge, and Standing Stones. The rituals performed there each season, led to larger crops and better yields. It ensured that more children lived to become adults and grow the community."

Perenelle Flamel paused to look around the chamber, everyone was writing diligently so she continued. "This cycle was maintained for nearly two thousand years, ultimately it infused the land with more magical power than most other regions of the world. Now, back to the Druids themselves. They each constructed a staff, allowed them to pull yet more power from the world, and focus it much like you now do with your wands. In fact the wand is a more advanced version of a staff, but it lacks the ability to handle the same volume of magic as they."

Suddenly an image of the Spear of Light, appeared on the stage beside the immortal woman.

Harry immediately grabbed the hilt of Hope, worried this woman had suddenly stolen the McKinnon artifact.

"This is an illusion, but since the Spear is a well-known staff, I will use it as an example. Merlin crafted this, along with the ancestors of Lady McKinnon, it is bound to their blood and when they wield it, can be used for world-altering magic."

Harry blushed, the ancient woman was looking right at him when she said that. He put his hand back on the table, and went back to taking notes.

"World-altering?" Hermione whispered from beside him, intently adding several more lines of notes to her parchment. Most likely she was making a list and would ask for details on their next meeting with the Flamels.

"The combination of materials and the size of the Spear, can focus and control an immense amount of magic. If the same were attempted with a wand, you would burn the core out and kill the wand before completing the effort."

"Now a single witch or wizard cannot possibly control that amount of magic, thus covens and circles were formed, wherein the participants would all pool their abilities and focus on one goal. These were often performed at the solstices, the largest was held on the Salisbury plain, within what is now called Stonehenge."

Perenelle paused again, this time walking up one of the aisles between the students. "What type of magic do we currently use here in Britain?" She suddenly asked the classroom.

Not even Hermione put her hand up, she was still busy writing questions and notes on her parchment and had likely not even heard the question. For several long seconds it didn't seem like anyone was even willing to make a guess. Finally Lavender Brown raised a trembling hand.

"Ah, yes, Miss Brown?"

"Um." Lavender said, letting her hand fall into her lap. "Roman."

"Hmm." Madam Flamel hummed and nodded once. "Yes, you use Latin words to shape your spells. In other regions of the world they use their own root languages. Ten points to Gryffindor. But why, after two thousand years of the Druids, is that the case? You see when the Romans invaded, they defeated not only the native armies, but the Druids as well. Along with their armies, the Romans had magicals. Each cohort, a standard division in the Roman legion, had casters. I won't call them wizards, but they were roughly equivalent to the Druids, except they specialized in combat magic. Think forming walls of earth for defensive positions, crafting crude healing potions or poultices, or making fog to mask a retreat or attack."

Harry glanced around their table, Susan had two separate papers in front of her, one was clearly notes, but the other seemed to be a list of questions. He couldn't quite read them as she was sitting on the other side of Hermione.

"British Druids were used to performing their magic in groups, very few of their abilities had anything to do with fighting. They were completely unable to help the native populace resist the Romans."

Daphne nudged him with her shoulder and he went back to taking notes, instead of wondering what questions Susan was writing.

"By the end of the Roman occupation, magic had advanced to the use of wands and incantations. No longer was it necessary to carry a staff and encant repeated stanzas to call forth magic. Very little of Druidic magic was incorporated into the resulting lexicon of spells. In fact about the only place you will find their lore is in Herbology."

"She meanders so much." Daphne whispered beside him. She had very organized notes, and since Lady Flamel kept switching subjects, she had huge gaps on her parchment to allow her to go back to and add lines if their instructor got back to that topic.

Harry shrugged. "Better than Binns."

"To get back on my topic, which is the tools used to focus our magic."

"When was that a topic?" Daphne whispered, flicking her blonde braid over her shoulder in irritation.

"After your O.W.L.S. you begin focusing on silent casting, eventually you should be able to cast with merely the will to form the specific spell. Neither Nicholas nor I have ever used a wand, we had staffs at one point, but no longer use them."

Perenelle had meandered up one aisle and back down another and now stood at the front of the room again. "For next class, each of you needs to present an essay on the other five main languages that spells are taught in around the world. Just the main ones, as there are over a hundred different languages that spells have been crafted in. I also want to see what those cultures have used to focus their magic. And no more than a foot of parchment on each language!"

She said the last looking at Hermione, who wasn't paying any attention, instead focused on writing the instructions down.

"Hermione?" Daphne said sharply, causing their companion to look up from her notes. "She was looking at you when she said only a foot."

"Oh." Hermione said, biting her lower lip in consternation. "But I like to write long essays. Why are they all telling me I can't this year?"

"Perhaps they are tired of reading them?" Susan said, flicking her wand at her parchments to dry the ink. Then she cast the spell on everyone else's notes on the table.

"Mine, perhaps you should consider publishing books on some of these topics." Harry said as he nodded to Susan in thanks and began gathering his things.

Instead of answering, Hermione got a glazed look in her eyes.

"Now you've done it." Daphne said with a lop-sided smile in his direction.

}-{

The Golem exercise had apparently not gone well for the class before theirs, though no one was willing to provide them details. The Headmaster was just finishing repairing a section of bridge as they rounded the corner.

In the distance, right on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was a large fabric screen, it must have covered a hundred feet or so. Hagrid stood near it, speaking with someone, who wasn't recognizable from this distance, though was considerably shorter than the half-giant.

"Over here everyone." Lady McKinnon called. She was standing on one of the taller bridges, with a clear view of the fields around the castle.

The class organized by their groups, each looking fairly nervous, especially team one.

"Alright, the bridge where the Headmaster is standing will be your starting point. You have until that short wall, the one before the base of the northern end of this bridge, to stop the golem. Points will be deducted for damage to any of the structures and distance traveled. So the quicker you can stop it, with as little damage, the better."

"Any questions?"

Though half of the students seemed about to speak, none of them did.

"Team One, proceed." Marlene ordered.

Neville led his group down the trail and met the Headmaster at the bridge. After receiving a nod from him they continued off of the far side of the bridge, then Neville and Parvati started transfiguring the earth.

When Marlene saw this she shot a green light spell into the sky from her wand.

Hagrid grabbed the edge of the screen and hurried to pull it back. The person whom he'd been speaking with disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Many of the students gasped at their first site of the golem. It was perhaps twice the height of Hagrid, and only roughly humanoid in form. There was no neck between its massive torso and bulbous head, a head with only two dark pools for eyes and a slit of a mouth. It walked on a pair of short legs, that were more like tree-trunks. It actually had four arms, one on each side, then the front and back.

"That's fairly slow." Daphne said after a moment of observing it.

"I don't know how deep they're going, but it's likely not enough." Harry said, having shifted his attention to Team One. Goyle and Bulstrode had continued beyond what Neville and Parvati were constructing. Now about a hundred meters further along the path they cast spells upon the surface, though only a shimmer could be seen from where everyone was watching.

"Slow but steady." Pansy said. "Should take it thirty minutes to reach the end point."

Daphne nodded, but kept her attention focused on the golem as it clomped noisily over the field. Behind it both Hagrid and the other man were walking, to either side of its path.

After casting the spell upon the ground, Goyle and Bulstrode waited where they were for it to get closer.

Neville and Parvati seemed to have a fairly deep ditch, in a half-circle, before the entrance of the bridge. They had used the dirt they pulled out of it to form a wall on the near side, creating a taller obstacle.

They collapsed, to sit on the ground and recover, that seemed to be the extent of their magical reserves.

The golem reached the shimmering section and continued upon it. That was when the waiting Slytherins began casting spells at the creature. Bludgeoning hexes splashed against the joint between the things left leg and torso. The purple spells didn't seem to have any affect, but they Slytherins continued as it proceeded to come closer to them.

"It's unnerving that it doesn't make any noise." Harry remarked.

"Yeah, if it looked more human this would be really creepy." Hermione said.

Apparently the spell on the ground was cold, white ice was now visible on the lower portions of the golem's legs. Nothing seemed to be having an effect on its progress though.

Bulstrode and Goyle had to retreat as it reached the end of their ice field. They continued to throw bludgeoning hexes at the same spot, though no one could see any damage from where they were observing.

Then they broke and ran back to where their teammates had gotten back to their feet. An argument commenced between the group, with much pointing at the transfigured construction.

The golem inexorably continued to amble forward, more machine than creature.

"It's a machine." Pansy said softly. She quickly tapped Daphne on the shoulder and gestured for the others to lean in close. "I think Potter's pit has merit. Machines don't think, right? We give it something outside of its instructions and we've got it."

"Possibly, let's see what it does to their construction." Daphne said.

"Well, yes, but we're not going to have much time to plan after they're done." Pansy said.

The golem had arrived at the semicircular moat and wall. It stepped down into the moat, about half of the creature vanished from their view, behind the wall. But it didn't slow, the wall that had been piled up collapsed, the front arm was sweeping from side to side, brushing it aside as though dusting crumbs from a table.

"A much deeper hole." Harry said. "I think we try to stop it early. I'm positive we can make that pit much bigger than they did."

With the golem simply walking out of their moat, Team One waved their arms over their heads frantically.

Marlene sent a red ball of light up into the air, signaling the end of the first attempt. The man walking with Hagrid sent a spell at the back of the creatures head. It stopped immediately, then, without turning, it reversed course.

The Headmaster flicked his wand and the transfigured earth returned to the pristine field it had been only minutes before.

"Team Two, you have ten minutes before your attempt begins. You may move down to the bridge."

While Team One began trudging back up the hill, Pansy led her team down the same path. "There's no word on its forehead, nor do I see a chain for a pendant hanging from its mouth. Therefore, if it follows the examples in the book, it will have a parchment in its mouth. We're going to have to reach it, and that means a pit deep enough to bury it to that point."

"Cool." Harry said, though at that point they were passing Team One, and received dark looks from them for his enthusiasm. "Sorry, they finally like my idea!"

"Luck mate." Neville called, but he didn't pause in his trip up the hill.

"Hello, are you ready for your attempt?" The Headmaster asked as they reached him.

Harry shrugged, but Pansy nodded. "Yes, we're ready when it is." She said, pointing to where the creature was just reaching the forest.

They kept walking and once they were off of the bridge Pansy kept talking. "It will be up to you Lady Black to check the thing's mouth. We'll pool our magic to make the pit and fill it in. After we fill it in, we've got to focus on keeping it down. I'm certain that thing will just climb out of the ground. We might be able to hold it for a bit, but I wouldn't bet any money on more than thirty seconds."

Daphne nodded, "I'll be fast."

"It's coming!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, drawing her wand.

"We'll wait for it right here." Pansy said. "Not sure if you want to be with us or off to the side Lady Black."

"Yeah, I'll sort it." Daphne said and jogged off to the left side of the creatures path, pulling on a pair of long dragonhide gloves, she'd taken from an inside pocket of her robe.

"Won't we be giving away our solution to the other two teams." Harry asked.

"I'll put up a screen behind us." Hermione offered.

Harry nodded. "Daph! Use a Disillusion!"

The Ice Queen thought for a moment, then tapped the crown of her blonde tresses with her wand, blending into the background immediately.

"Good idea Potter." Pansy said. "You focus on depth, Granger and I will worry about the sides, well I will first, while she's casting the screen."

"Yep." Harry said, with a bright gleam in his eyes. He rubbed his hands together briskly and then drew his wand.

He shot a color spell at the ground about fifty feet in front of them. "When it gets there."

"Alright." Pansy said.

It was about five paces from that point when Hermione turned to face the class and raised her wand. A shimmering field, perhaps fifty feet high and seventy or so wide, appeared a dozen feet behind them. The screen shifted from clear to solid white a moment later.

"NOW!" Harry shouted and the ground erupted as though a massive explosion had gone off deep within the earth.

The golem fell as the ground under it could no longer support its weight.

"Deeper!" Pansy yelled, her voice strained by her constant effort to keep Potter's earth from dispersing too far from the hole to do them any good.

"Got it." Harry said and a secondary explosion came from deep in the earth.

"That's enough." Hermione said as the creature vanished behind the wall of earth, her wand dancing as she began filing in the hole.

"Too deep! Potter, hold it down."

"Blow it up, put it back…" He said, but couldn't keep the grin from his face, this was fun.

The trio focused everything they could for the next thirty seconds, packing the earth back into the hole and then tamping it down to prevent the golem from extracting itself.

The air in front of them shimmered and a yellow piece of parchment appeared. "Why are you guys still casting?" came Daphne's voice from its vicinity.

"You got it?" Pansy asked.

The Headmaster walked briskly through the white barrier, his concern immediately shifted to curiosity. The field looked like an explosion had happened, but all of the dirt had been put back, leaving a large earthen circle, and no sign of the golem.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Made a pit." Harry said happily, putting his wand in the holster up his sleeve.

"And I pulled this out of its mouth." Daphne said, shimmering back into view. She had dirt all over her, and a nasty scratch on her neck, but otherwise seemed quite pleased with herself.

"And the wall?" he asked, glancing behind him to verify the white barrier continued to shimmer.

"We didn't want to give away our solution to the other teams." Pansy said.

"Ahh, yes." The Headmaster said. "If you'll return that parchment to Mr. Flamel, we'll get it walking back to the starting point."

"We did it?" Harry asked.

"Quite neatly, if I do say so." The Headmaster said as Daphne ran over to the man who was now identified as Mr. Flamel by the golem's grave.

The Headmaster then waved his wand, extracting the golem a bit from the earth, so its head was visible.

Mr. Flamel took the parchment from Daphne and she ran back in their direction. When she arrived, panting a bit, but still flushed with her victory, the Headmaster pointed back up the hill. "You may proceed. Dismiss the screen in about a minute Miss Granger."

"Sure." She said and the four of them headed back to their waiting classmates.

Once they were back with their classmates, Daphne became nearly everyone's focus. She looked like she'd been in a nasty fight, while the rest of them had not.

"Are you alright?" Lady McKinnon asked.

"Yes." Daphne said, still smiling.

"Consort Potter, please tend to her injuries." Lady McKinnon said.

"Of course Lady McKinnon." Hermione said and promptly cleaned the dirt from her blonde companion before focusing on the bleeding cut.

"Is it really bad?" Daphne asked.

"No," Hermione said. "There won't be a scar."

"What did you guys do?" Tracey Davis asked.

"Sorry," Daphne said, though she remained motionless as Hermione gently traced the cut on her neck. "We'll tell everyone after all the teams have gone."

"You're no fun." Tracey said, but was smiling. "That Hat really should have put you in Gryffindor to begin with."

Hermione ended her spell and pulled her wand back just in time.

"Trace!" Daphne said, jerking to look at her friend. "You stop that. And don't go anywhere after class. I need to speak with you."

Her friend didn't answer, merely nodded and returned to where her team was watching Nott orchestrate his team's attempt.

"Now don't move, or you will have a scar." Hermione said.

"I've got her." Harry said, and proceeded to snuggle up behind the Ice Queen and wrap her in his arms.

Daphne sighed, turned her head to kiss Harry and waited while Hermione put her wand against her neck and commenced healing her.

"You guys are too sweet." Pansy said, though she didn't bother looking at them, she'd grown used to their antics over the last few weeks.

Nott's team managed to stall the golem before the bridge by briefly levitating it. But they couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds. Then they collapsed the bridge while it was on it, then piled all of the debris atop it. That seemed to work, but a minute after the stones settled they began to shift and the golem worked its way free.

"They didn't push the stones down." Pansy said. "They might have held it if they did."

"Perhaps." Harry said as Hermione finally finished running her wand over Daphne's neck.

Team three's attempt was over, all four of them were exhausted and sitting on the ground. It had been a good attempt, but they lacked the power to pull it off.

Team four waited until the golem was on the starting bridge and then cast several spells on the center of the span. When the golem reached that point it kept walking, but wasn't making any more progress. They couldn't tell what was happening from so far away.

While the four members of the final team kept their wands pointed at the bridge, the Headmaster and Mr. Flamel approached the golem from both ends of the bridge. After several minutes where nothing changed the Headmaster sent up a red ball of light, signaling the end of the attempt.

"What did they do?" Pansy asked.

"Not sure." Hermione said, gently biting her lip. "We won the task though."

"You're right, we did." Harry said and kissed both of his ladies.

Pansy was waving her hands in front of herself when he turned to face her. "Hold on." She was looking over his shoulder, where Draco was scowling at him.

"My apologies Miss Parkinson." Harry said formally. "May I kiss your hand?"

"I believe that's safe." She said and held her hand out.

He quickly took it and, being perfectly formal, brushed a kiss to the back of her knuckles.

"Alright everyone." Marlene said when Lavender's team had reached the class. "Team two is our winner, they actually deactivated the golem. Inside its mouth was a piece of parchment, which Lady Black removed while the remainder of the team temporarily immobilized it. Team four turned the bridge under the golem into a muggle people mover, each step forward was met with a stone that went backwards, keeping it in place. The Headmaster determined they would be able to keep it up for several hours. They are in second place for this task."

"That means they're well in the lead." Hermione said. "They won the first one, and none of us got anything."

"I'm awarding third place to Mr. Nott's team, and fourth to Mr. Longbottom's. The remaining exercises will be more involved. If anything, think of the final task of the Tri." She coughed and looked at Harry who had raised his eyebrow at her. "Pardon me, the Quad-Wizard Tournament from last year. There will be a course and obstacles, though not as involved, or as dangerous, as that."

"Well done everyone. Class dismissed." Marlene said and walked back towards the castle, the Spear making thumping noises every few steps as it hit the stone bridge.

"What did you want Ice?" Tracey asked as she walked over to them.

"I'll see you later." Pansy said quickly and hurried off to walk back with Draco and Nott.

When the four of them were alone Daphne cast a quick privacy spell. "I'm worried about you and Story. Nott's been watching my sister too much. She said she's noticed it, and has been trying to be with at least one of her friends."

"Yeah." Tracey said, narrowing her eyes. "He has, and frankly it can't be anything good."

"Right." Daphne said and lightly grasped her friends hands. "Blaise is suspect too, he's never shown any interest before this year."

"Idiot couldn't do anything right. He doesn't know his way around a girl's body. Couldn't get hard, and he's tiny. I had to use my wand on him, and he still disappointed."

Harry blushed and stepped back, half-turning to get away from the conversation. Hermione quickly slid tightly against his side and pulled him back into the conversation.

Tracey looked at him and raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"Harry is perfect in our bed, or floor, or wherever. He doesn't lack in any regard." Daphne answered the un-asked question firmly.

"And there isn't room for another?" Tracey said.

"No." Hermione answered with equal firmness.

"Can't blame a girl for asking. Besides I got me a seventh year Claw now."

"Trace." Daphne said, half-smiling and shaking her head slowly.

"Alright, so I'll keep an eye on Nott. Story will run to you or your aunt, right?"

"And Trace, you need to stay safe too." Daphne said. "They might try to use you if they can't get her."

"And they might." Tracey said. "And I'll make them pay dearly for the attempt."

"We'll help any way we can." Harry said.

Tracey nodded, gave Daphne a hug and walked back to the school with her head and shoulders back.

"She won't show them any fear." Daphne whispered to her remaining companions.

}-{

Andromeda had spent a day in her sister's room, talking and just being sisters. Bellatrix had run the gamut of emotions before finally settling down. Yes this was weird, but she was a pureblood witch, and magic could do almost anything. So with a firm grip on her, formerly younger, sister's hand, she left her room and then climbed the ladder out of this strange place she'd awoken in.

As she suspected, she'd been inside a trunk. Outside of the trunk was the patio of the manor house, overlooking the sea far below. The house was perched on the face of a cliff, without the need of roads or such, they were not restricted to the tops of the cliff.

"Wow." Bellatrix said, looking at the sight before her.

"Yes," a man said from her left. She spun and immediately knew this was Lord Black.

"My Lord." She said, and curtsied.

"Arise cousin Bella." Sirius said.

"So how are you doing?" Amanda asked, coming onto the porch with a tea service. She was followed by her mother with a tray of hard biscuits.

"Please join us for tea." Amanda said before Bellatrix could answer the question, and began pouring for everyone.

Sirius sat at the table first, and Javona quietly settled to his right. "My trial is in two days' time. The barristers claim it is a done deal and I will be officially freed within a day of that. Yet I am concerned that this will not go well. In the event something happens you must all go to England and locate my Godson and his betrothed. Do not linger here, where others might capture you."

"But Sirius?" Javona said, her hand lightly on his forearm.

He shook his head slowly, "No, if this goes wrong, they will come for my supporters. Daughters of the House of Black, you must obey."

"Yes, My Lord." Andromeda found herself saying and was echoed by the others.

"Very well, thank you." Sirius said and picked up his tea. He didn't drink it yet, but held it close to his lips to gently blow across the surface. "We are in a precarious position. Many once great houses are similarly affected. We must form alliances and bring more Blacks into this world. Andi, have you decided?"

"Yes, Siri." Andromeda said, slowly stirring her tea. "I will undergo the treatment as Bella did, though not quite so far." She said with a wink at her sibling. "I'll stay the elder, around twenty. Then yes, I will try for six months to have another child of my husband. I had a lot of trouble getting pregnant the first time. After that I will use potions to ensure at least two more children are born of my body and they will carry the name of Black, not Tonks."

"Good. Thank you." Sirius said and finally sipped his tea. "Now, as to Narcissa." He said, meeting Bellatrix's lavender eyes. "She is being punished. Amanda here was forced to switch bodies with her, while Cissy possessed her, she had sex for a month with her son and got Amanda's body pregnant."

"Yes." Bellatrix said softly, not looking away from his intense gaze. "I was informed, and find the concept repulsive my lord."

Sirius gave a sharp nod. "Then I'll allow you some time to speak with her, but remember I've given her to Remus for two decades. One of his punishments is that she is not allowed to wear any clothes when at a Black property. She will be nude unless we travel."

Bella's breath caught when she heard this, to be subjected to every man's leering gaze for twenty years. She calmed herself and gave her lord another nod. "Yes, my lord. I understand. I will do nothing to lessen her punishment unless given permission to do so."

"Good." Sirius said. "She will be in the sitting room shortly. Remus may, or may not be there, regardless he will not harm you. He is my best friend, and very honorable."

The young Black took a shuddery breath and nodded yet again.

"Really." Andromeda said from beside her, gently patting her arm. "I've been sleeping with him for a bit over a year, off and on mind you, and he's never harmed me. A bit rough sometimes, but only when I asked."

Bellatrix blushed, her skin tingling. One of the conditions of her contract was that she remain untouched by both man and woman before her wedding day. She had only superficial knowledge of sex and anything to do with it was difficult to ignore.

"Enough." Javona said firmly. "Do not taunt your sister so. Allow her to grow and learn at her own pace."

"Yes mother." Amanda said contritely, though she hadn't said a thing to embarrass Bellatrix.

"Bellatrix," Javona said gently to get her attention. "We've had Sirius' barrister draw up legal papers for you. If this is alright with you, I'd like to formally adopt you, under another name."

"Um." Bellatrix said, looking to her sister for advice. "I've been told I'm infamous throughout the wizarding world. My name cursed by many. I really can't imagine that, but both my Lord Black and my sister have told me it is so. Yes, but may I have a day to think of a name?"

"Yes, Bella." Sirius said. "I just wish the papers to be filed before my trial, in two days' time, remember your last name will be Furieux."

"I can show you the family roles, if you'd like to see some historical examples." Javona said.

"Yes, thank you."

The back door opened and a tall man with grey-streaked hair stepped out. He was dressed in rather nice clothes, though his face showed signs of a hard life.

"Remus." Sirius said happily. "Come, sit my friend."

A chair was quickly conjured and Remus sat between Amanda and Andromeda. "Hello everyone. I'm sorry Bellatrix, but I'm having a hard time separating you from my memories of you."

"I'm sorry." Bellatrix said softly. "I've heard I was dreadful. Like all Blacks I know a lot of darker spells, but never thought I'd have enough hate to cast them. And right now I don't even have a wand."

"We'll rectify that as soon as the papers are formalized." Javona said.

"Thank you. What of my final year of school? Hasn't it already started?"

The adults silently communicated for a moment before Javona spoke again. "Yes, it has. But we'll be hiring tutors, both for you and Amanda. My youngest is at Beauxbatons, but with Amanda's pregnancy and your sudden arrival, we thought best not to try formal schooling."

"Will I be able to take my N.E.W.T.S.?"

"Yes." Sirius said. "The house of Black grows strong once again."

"You know Siri," Andromeda said, swirling the dregs of her tea. "Since you restored myself, and daughter to the family I have felt the family magic growing stronger." She finished her tea, grimaced at the fact that it had grown cold, and put the porcelain cup down. "I think it's Daphne, the family magic is using her stability and resolve. It's why she's already our Lady."

Sirius shook his head and gave a soft laugh. "I've never understood family magic. It's always been so lightly applied to me."

"Well." Remus said, slipping into his teaching role. "I have read how family magic can be almost sentient, and yours has seemed to act to help Miss…" he trailed off and then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I was going to call her Miss Greengrass, but if she is Lady Black, then she would be Daphne Black, right?"

"Yes, assuredly." Javona said.

"Then yes, it's possible that her magic, and it's connection to your family, is making the whole stronger." Remus said and finally poured himself a cup of black tea.

"When can she marry Lord Potter?" Javona asked.

"When he is seventeen." Andromeda said. "Daphne, and Hermione for that matter, are both older than he is."

"Who's Hermione again?" Bellatrix asked, leaning forward in her chair. She hadn't heard much about this young woman yet.

"Hermione Granger, the brightest-witch-of-the-age, has been the single person who stood beside Harry Potter since he stepped foot in the magical world." Remus said. "She's utterly devoted to him. Simply astonishing in school, snaps up knowledge faster than I've seen anyone. Always one of the first to learn spells, only Harry seemed to get them faster. Well if they were for fighting at least."

"You'll know her when you meet her." Sirius said. "She's got a strong presence, and will be glued to my Godson's side." He gave a chuckle, went to sip his tea and discovered the cup was empty. "And if there is any confusion, she's the brunette beside him. The blonde will be Lady Black."

"Formally, she is Consort Potter." Andromeda said.

"When will I meet them?" Bellatrix asked, nervously straightening her robes.

"Yule, I imagine."

Bellatrix nodded and took a calming breath. "Is Cissy inside?" She asked of Remus.

He simply nodded, sipping his tea.

"Give me a few minutes with her please?" Bellatrix asked as she stood. No one said a word as she walked back inside and headed for the sitting room and her other sibling.

}-{

Narcissa was standing, nude of course, facing the doorway from the porch. She wore a tall leather collar, with a pair of chains stretching down from it to her nipples. Each was attached by a pair of metal jaws to the thick nub of flesh. The large globes were pulled upwards by the short length of chain. She stood in three inch black heels, with her legs wide apart and hands in the small of her back.

Bellatrix froze at the sheer eroticism displayed before her. She could smell the private fluids that traced a line down her sister's inner thighs.

"You should be the one being punished." Narcissa's acidic voice bit into Bella, shocking her out of her stupor.

"What?" She said, stepping into the parlor.

Narcissa didn't move, and could only look down at Bella, the collar forced her head to look up a bit. "You've killed and tortured hundreds. I've never taken a life."

Bellatrix shook her head slowly. "I don't remember any of that Cissy. The last thing—"

"You liked torture." Narcissa said sharply.

"Andi told me some..." Bellatrix said, her voice barely audible.

"I can give you names, dates. My former husband is one of the Inner Circle of Death Eaters, he was there for many of the times you killed. He said you liked to do children especially, make them strip and then you'd fondle them under the Cruciatus spell. They'd climax in the middle of agony, time and time again, before you'd cut off their sex and stuff it down their throat."

"No." Bellatrix said, feeling ill. "I wouldn't."

"Oh, yes you would. Lestrange delighted in having you off the children in front of their parents, especially the mudbloods. Hundreds Bellatrix, hundreds, mostly children."

Bellatrix wanted to deny it all, but she couldn't remember one way or another. It had to be not fulfilling the marriage contract. Without bearing her required children, she'd lost her mind. That must be the reason for her insanity. It had to be the reason for it.

"Bell." Andromeda said, turning her pale sister to face her. When she didn't react she turned her attention to her other sibling. "What have you done?"

"Only told her what the rest of you refused to. What kind of a beast she is." Narcissa said proudly.

"Come Bell." Andromeda said, guiding her now-younger sister up the stairs of the large manor house.

Narcissa stood, gloating in spite of the pain her tits were in, until they were gone. _Served the little bitch right._ She thought as Remus and Sirius walked inside and she wiped the smirk from her face quickly.

}-{


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"Bell?" Andromeda called into her sister's new room. This one above ground and with a stunning view of the Ligurian Sea.

"On the patio Andi."

Andromeda walked through the sitting room and out onto the small balcony. She found not only her sister, but Amanda as well. Both girls were in the skimpiest of bathing suits she'd ever seen. The sight froze the older woman in her tracks.

The sound of young girls giggling brought her back to the present with a jerk. "Girls, those are hardly decent."

"But Andi, no one can see us here." Bellatrix said. She was wearing a tiny triangle of pink fabric over each of her nipples and between her legs. The pieces of fabric were mostly see-through and no more than two inches on a side. Holding them in place were thin black straps, that bit into her skin.

"Mrs. Tonks." Amanda said. She was similarly dressed, except her triangles were orange, though the straps were still black. "Our sister took a lot of convincing to try this. Please don't make her feel embarrassed about herself."

"Oh." Andromeda said, then met her sister's lavender eyes, which she realized were troubled and her hands were now hovering by her sides, as though about to cover herself. "Bell, you're gorgeous and have nothing to be ashamed about. I'm just not comfortable with wearing anything like that myself."

"Knowing it's just us here, would you?" Bellatrix asked after she moved her hands back to the towel beside her hips.

Andromeda shrugged. "Probably, though I don't have the time today, and the sun's fading. I'm here to remind you that the papers must be filed soon, and lack a name. Have you been thinking about that?"

"Yes, we've been talking." Amanda said. "Go ahead, tell her what you've chosen."

Bellatrix closed her eyes a moment, then gave a sharp nod and met her elder sister's eyes. "Ellayne, which means Shining Light."

"And if we call her Ella, that's similar enough to Bella, that she'll likely respond." Amanda said.

"So what's your full name? Did you think of a middle name as well?"

"Yes, Ellayne Laurel Furieux."

"We can call her ELF, for fun." Amanda said with a giggle, that set her exposed tit-flesh jiggling.

"Andi, in spite of being stuck with those initials, I'm fairly happy with the name. What do you think?"

"Well." Andromeda said, kneeling beside her sister, with her back to the fading sun. "It sounds like a lovely name. And you can certainly deflect anyone who uses those initials by mentioning the true elves of legend, the High Elves. Since House Elves are not in any way related to them, but instead a domesticated Brownie."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Amanda said and sat up, shielding her eyes from the direct sunlight. "We better get changed for dinner."

"Yes, and then Lord Black will want to complete the paperwork so it can be filed with Gringotts before his trial tomorrow." Andromeda said, standing and helping the girls up. When she saw their backs, the strap vanished completely between their butt-cheeks. She stifled a gasp and instead hurried past them and inside the house. "I'll see you at dinner then." She closed the door to the hallway to the light giggling of the young girls.

}-{

If the Daily Prophet had a voice, it would be screaming today's headline:

 **Lord Black, Annuls Malfoy Marriage! Breach of Contract!**

In a stunning move, that shifts vast amounts of both wealth and political power, the new Lord Black has summarily ended the sixteen year marriage of Lucius Malfoy to Narcissa Black.

Lord Malfoy has been able to vote the Black seat by proxy since the previous Lord Black's demise in '91. The Malfoy's themselves do not have a seat in the Wizengamot, but being the nearest blood relative in good standing, Narcissa was the defacto holder of the Black seat.

This action can only be seen as the new Lord Black expressing his displeasure as to their actions. It is still unknown who the new Lord Black is, though speculation has that it is one of the members of the French branch, the Furieuxs.

As part of the betrothal contract the Malfoy family received an astonishing million galleons from the Black vault. All of that money, plus interest and anything purchased with that money, has been returned to the Black vault by the Goblins of Gringotts.

Gringotts spokesman had this to say. "We will not disclose any amounts, but Lord Black was able to recoup the initial amount, plus a sizable return. All actions were in compliance with the original contracts and were performed to follow the Lord Black's wishes. The former Lady Malfoy is safe with her Lord at this time."

The only other bit of information we were able to obtain from the Goblins is that the new Lord Black will make an appearance in approximately thirty days. They would not disclose where or give a precise date.

In a related story, Gringotts also announced that the Lady Black ring has been claimed. Somewhere out there a new Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black are once again at the helm of this founding family of our world.

We can only speculate as to what direction they will lead their allies. Was Lord Malfoy too progressive in his voting? Does the new Lord wish to bring back the draconian legislature of the previous century? Blacks have traditionally followed the darkest of political paths, enforcing duels to the death to resolve disputes and advocating slavery for all female members of a defeated house and the Veil for the males thirteen and over.

Lord Malfoy has not been seen in the last week and there was no corresponding announcement from the Malfoy house. The once politically strong house has now been reduced to Lucius Malfoy and his heir Draco, who is in his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Malfoy fortune, which was tripled by the Black funds, is now rumored to be nearly knutless.

The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had this to say on the subject. "Mr. Malfoy has been an upstanding citizen and assisted in many worthy projects and legislature for the last decade. I stand by my friends in their time of need."

Mr. Fudge refused to comment on his former Senior Undersecretary who was convicted of fabricating charges against The-Boy-Who-Lived.

}-{

Hermione passed the paper to Harry beside her who hadn't quite finished reading the article yet. Daphne was twirling the Lady Black ring around her finger, as though debating removing or hiding it. The brunette knew she never would, Daphne couldn't shirk her duty to the House of Black. Instead she would defend it and honor it. Even as she watched her blonde lover, she straightened the ring properly on her finger and went back to eating her breakfast.

Harry ran a gentle hand up the blonde's back, showing that he'd noticed her actions as well, and pushed the paper away with his other hand. "Yeah, that should cause some fireworks. Well done Padfoot."

"It's good to see that he is recovering. There's no way he would have come up with this a few months ago." Daphne said softly and buttered a biscuit.

Hermione nodded, it was indeed impressive, compared to his constant sexual innuendo.

"What in Merlin's name! My mother would never abandon me!"

"Let the fireworks commence." Harry said causing Hermione to stifle a giggle.

Surprisingly, Malfoy didn't say another word. Instead he marched up to the Head table, where he spoke with Professor Snape briefly and then the pair of them left the hall in a hurry.

Several students walked quickly from the hall, in the general direction of the owlery. Likely to send messages home to find out their parent's wishes on this news. One of those students was Pansy, who passed right behind them, though didn't look in their direction.

Daphne suddenly held a folded note, which she read and then passed to Harry.

 _His Godfather will take him to speak with his father. PP_

The p's at the end were highly stylized, but it was clearly from Parkinson, keeping her side of their agreement by spying for them. They would have to get their side sorted out, but other than buying out the contract, which the Malfoy's would now likely jump on, they really didn't have any options yet.

"Any lead on who Junior got pregnant?" Daphne asked.

Harry just shook his head, they hadn't heard from Lord Black in a while.

}-{

Meanwhile in a chateau on the French Riviera, the former Lady Malfoy was celebrating her annulment the way a proper fuck toy does, by being triple-penetrated for the first time in her life. Under her was Amanda, polyjuiced into some fat muggle with a similarly fat cock, which was buried in her cunt. Behind her Remus long tool was reaming out her ass, causing a strange rubbing inside of her. Meanwhile in front of her Lord Black stood, with his cock buried in her throat.

No matter which way she moved something went deep within her. In spite of herself she felt rather proud, she no longer gagged with a cock down her gullet, nor did her Master up her ass cause her concern. Instead she was sore everywhere, but it was something she was becoming used to. Not a day went by that she was unused, and she couldn't even look forward to her monthly cycle as she was pregnant.

Thousands of galleons in potions had been made by Severus to make this body perfect. Now it was being used properly, she was pleasing three cocks at the same time while she incubated a pair of sprog.

The row of stamina potions on the side-board indicated the celebration was just getting started.

}-{

That afternoon's training session had been rather brutal. Marlene had taken them to her castle and run them through the training maze. Susan and Neville hadn't been prepared for the physical activity and the others had been forced to assist them over the obstacles. Well Harry had to, while Daphne and Hermione shielded and fended off surprise attacks.

After only two circuits, Marlene had called a halt. "We're going to do this every two weeks. I recommend both of you joining their morning laps around the Quidditch pitch."

"But." Susan said, between gasps and her hands hovered over her large breasts, clearly not happy with the idea of running.

"There's a spell for that." Marlene said in answer to her un-voiced question.

"Thank Merlin." Susan sighed and lay back, resting against one of the stone walls, with the Bulwark strapped to her back. She continued to try and get her breathing under control.

Neville, who was still standing on the other side with Harry, was oblivious to the topic as he tried to use meditation to help with his breathing.

A few quick healing spells removed the scrapes, though Marlene deliberately left the bruises that would be covered by their clothes. They would serve as a reminder to take the exercise and practice seriously, or they would manage to heal them on their own, serving as practice in another area.

"For your first time, that was well done." Marlene said once Susan and Neville had recovered enough to follow her. "Let's get back to school, you'll just have enough time for showers before dinner."

As they headed back up to the Floo connection, Neville asked about the exercise. "What time do you run?"

"Well, it's three days a week." Hermione said. "We usually go at seven, it only takes us about half an hour, to walk to the pitch, then run around the outside of it six times. After that we walk back to the school to warm down. Shower and get ready for breakfast by eight. Oh, it's Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday."

"Ung." Susan moaned. "I've got Astronomy Wednesday night. I'll have to take a nap before the class, or my alarm charm won't get me up in time on Thursday.

"You don't already?" Daphne asked with a pair of raised eyebrows as they reached the Floo.

"No, Puffs have a study session to keep us awake instead. But it isn't mandatory, so I can skip it." Susan said and took a pinch of Floo powder from the jar beside the fireplace.

"And just so you know." Daphne put in. "Parkinson's been joining us. It's part of our Defense Team practice."

"So don't talk about any of this." Neville said while Susan agreed with a nod.

She tossed the Floo powder into the flames. "Hogwarts, Defense Professor's Quarters. Password, Light be Vigilant." The flames switched to green and the Bones Heiress stepped into them and vanished.

Once they were all back in Marlene's private quarters she patted Susan's shoulder. "I'll escort you back to your house, the rest of you get showered and down to dinner."

"Sure." Harry said, regretting for a moment that they couldn't take the secret passage from Marlene's chamber to their suite with Neville present.

He hated the fact that his older lady had to keep her distance from them with others around and looked forward to the day when he could comfortably claim to be her Consort. Daphne took his hand and interlaced their fingers. With a quick squeeze she showed him that she knew what he was feeling.

He gave her a corresponding squeeze as they climbed the stairs with Neville and Hermione.

}-{

Sirius Black was dressed in the fanciest robes he'd ever seen. They were so embroidered with tiny gemstones that they hardly moved at all. He might as well have been wearing a suit of plate mail, which considering he was entering into a battle of sorts, that seemed appropriate.

Rangnil was dressed in a similar robe, though one clearly designed to show that she was a woman, and was looking over herself carefully in a conjured mirror.

"So, am I ready?" he asked a bit nervously.

His barrister turned to him, motioned for him to spin around, and nodded after he did so. "Yes, Lord Black. So long as you remember the appropriate answers to the questions, you should be fine. Regardless I will be with you throughout."

"Never been good at formal occasions." He said softly.

She nodded once, "Just remember they are old, bitter, men. Do not bring up sex or your godson."

"Yeah," that was what she'd been coaching him on for weeks now. This had to be about his innocence, nothing else mattered. He was accused of betraying the Potters and murdering twelve muggles along with Peter Pettigrew.

The only witness he'd been able to produce was in fact Narcissa. As a Black she could give testimony as to Pettigrew's current state, that of being alive, as well as his participation in the resurrection ritual of Voldemort at the end of last year's school term. She hadn't seen the ritual of course, but could testify to seeing the resurrected man and the maimed Pettigrew at the Malfoy Manor hours after it.

Narcissa was dressed in a similar robe to Rangnil's, though her arms were bare from her elbows, clearly showing her unblemished skin. Under the robe she had clamps applied to her clitoris and nipples to remind her of her status. Her voice was also a bit husky, after last night's celebrations, he was lucky she could speak.

They took a portkey that Rangnil provided, arriving at the International Headquarters of the Confederation of Wizards in Geneva Switzerland. Four Swiss Aurors, in ceremonial robes and carrying ornate staffs, took up positions around the three of them.

"Barrister Andreassen?" a man in formal white robes and wig asked.

Rangnil gave a short bow, with a sour expression on her lovely face. "I am. This is Lord Sirius Black, and his witness, Narcissa Black." She said.

The man gave no reaction that would indicate he was concerned about his safety, instead giving a shallow bow to Sirius. "Barrister Andreassen will escort you to the courtroom. She is not to be separated from you today. If anyone mentions it, make sure you get their names. These guards should prevent anything like that from happening. Meanwhile I will escort your witness into the side chamber, where she can wait in comfort until called."

Sirius gave a little smirk. Narcissa wouldn't be comfortable until she was back home, and had the clamps removed. He returned the man's shallow bow. "Very well. She is a member of my house, and recently freed from a cursed marriage. Make sure she is guarded from harm as well."

"Of course Lord Black." The man said and held his elbow out to Narcissa.

She appeared to be completely ignoring the conversation, though took his elbow without comment and strode off beside him. Her progress highlighted by the sharp tapping of her heels.

With the guards surrounding them, Sirius and his barrister proceeded down a different corridor, then up two flights of broad stairs. There were more formally dressed Aurors on guard at every turn, most hardly glanced in their direction. They passed several groups of people, who were either waiting for their own trial or for one to conclude. These groups stared at them as they passed, before returning to a whispered conversation.

The courtroom was full, and every surface was shined to perfection. From the marble floor, that he kept trying to use to look up Rangnil's robes, to the gilded fixtures and dark polished wood. Conversations paused when they walked in, and resumed at a lower volume after they passed.

The press was taking up more than half of the chamber. Sirius tried to ignore them, and used some of his Occlumency lessons to push them from his mind. They had no bearing on the outcome, and were merely here to report the results. Results that he very much wanted the world to know about.

Rangnil gestured for him to sit behind a small table, she took the chair beside the aisle, and sat with her hands folded in her lap. Just behind them were the senior barristers from the firm representing him. All three men looked confident and gave him, what they obviously thought, was a comforting nod.

Sirius returned the nod and sat beside Rangnil, trying to emulate her relaxed posture, but the sweat trickling down the back of his robe, prevented him from really relaxing. This robe was hot.

Then several doors opened towards the front of the chamber, and cool breezes flowed over the crowd. He wasn't the only one to suppress a sigh at the relief that breeze brought him.

Three judges climbed up to the podium. They were all old men, well over a hundred, and closer to two than one if he had to place a bet. One of them was scowling at him, while the others seemed to be of a more neutral demeanor.

"Do we have the psychologist's evaluation?" the judge in the middle asked.

"Here." The judge on the right said, deepening his scowl as he rifled through a stack of papers in front of him. A minute later he handed the requested papers to the central judge.

"Lord Black," The central judge said a moment later and looked up from the paper. "I'll not make you wait, this isn't a trial in the strictest sense. The incredible lack of evidence, and no records from England, have changed this into an inquiry. We have reached the basic conclusion that you are of course innocent until proven guilty."

A spear of apprehension went through Sirius during the man's speech.

"In regards to any proof of guilt, we find an incredible dearth of such. The papers which consigned you to prison are also apparently not in existence. Yet we can prove that only two people had the ability to summarily sentence you. Albus Dumbledore and Minister Bagnold, must have colluded to perform this task. Bagnold is dead, but Dumbledore has refused to answer a summons to today's event."

Rangnil glanced at Sirius, her eyes showed her shock at this sudden turn of events. She flashed him a brief smile and then turned back to the judges.

"Let us proceed with your course of events." The judge on the left said. "Step forward and place your hands on the book of truth."

This was one of the things she'd been explaining to him over the last few weeks. It was similar to Veritaserum in England, the book would prevent anyone touching it from lying, it stopped when they were no longer touching it, making it far easier to control than an odorless, colorless potion.

Once his hands were on the book he calmed himself and looked up to the central judge.

"Go through the events of October 31st, of '81."

With a nod, Sirius began. "I was out riding my motorcycle, when I felt a jolt run through my magic. Immediately I thought of my godson Harry Potter. I turned my cycle towards Godric's Hollow and arrived there a few minutes later. When I got there Rubeus Hagrid was carrying Harry out of the ruins of the Potter cottage. I asked him to hand him to me, but instead he said he couldn't, and I would have to talk to Dumbledore about it. I honestly couldn't think of much, except that if Harry was safe then I would find the rat. You see Peter Pettigrew was a rat animagus, and it was he who was the secret keeper for the charm protecting the cottage."

He closed his eyes a moment, remembering that horrid night as though it was yesterday. "So I went to Peter's flat, he wasn't there, the place was a wreck. I started apparating to our old haunts, looking for him. I finally tracked him down at his mum's apartment in London. She wasn't there, he ran out in to the street, screamed that I killed them and then the street exploded. I believe I was dazed, perhaps some debris struck me? I don't know. The next thing I do remember was being cold. I woke up in Azkaban and didn't see a living person for over a year."

Sirius paused there, waiting for direction from the judges. All of them were busy scribbling notes. Eventually the central judge looked up and gave him a nod, "Tell us why you escaped?"

"Minister Fudge was touring, he had a copy of the Daily Prophet. I asked for it and he handed it to me through the bars. In it I read that the Weasley family had won a drawing from the paper and were going to Egypt with the money. In the accompanying picture was a rat. I spent seven years in a dorm with my friends, and several after that. It was Peter, in his animagus form, poking his head out of the shirt pocket of one of the teenage boys. I then knew that Peter was at Hogwarts, placing my godson in danger. I had to escape to protect him."

He paused, suddenly very thirsty. Rangnil was beside him with a goblet of water. He had to keep his hands on the book, so she helped him drink. They were both very careful so it took a good bit of time, but the judges waited without comment.

Sirius turned back to them and continued. "That night, I changed into my animagus form, which is a black dog, and slipped through the bars of my cell and out into the night. Since it was summer, and the Weasley family was in Egypt, I went to the only place I could think Harry might be, his aunt Petunia's house. I arrived there just as he was leaving. He was dragging his trunk and summoned the Knight Bus. I think he saw me just before that. Regardless he left and I didn't see him for months."

"I went north to Hogwarts, arriving there just after term started. I know many of the secret passages of the school and was able to sneak inside. I nearly caught Peter, but he escaped in his rat form. It took me a few months to figure out where he was. Surprisingly I was helped by a Kneasle, which I later learned is owned by Hermione Granger, who is now Consort Potter. Her familiar was helping me clear my name."

He shook his head, he'd lost his focus. Clamping down his Occlumency he continued in a more sober tone. "We finally caught him, though I was in my animagus form and the Weasley boy wouldn't let go of the rat. So I dragged the boy into a secret tunnel which led to the Shrieking Shack. But Harry had seen me and, along with Consort Potter, followed. We talked in the Shrieking Shack, they saw Peter as a person, and the man even confessed to everything. Then he escaped again and I was captured."

"If not for Harry and Hermione, I would be dead. Fudge wanted me kissed by a Dementor, since they were surrounding the school, he went to get one to perform the deed. While I was waiting, in a tower room, there was a tapping at the window. Then the window vanished. They had used a hippogriff, to fly up to the tower, I jumped on it with them and later flew it away from Hogwarts. Peter went to Armenia and found Voldemort. They returned to England and Peter performed a resurrection ritual at the end of the following school year."

"And you have a witness to this event?"

"No your Honor." Sirius said with a shake of his head. "My godson Harry Potter was there, but he's back in school. Narcissa Black, was married to Lucius Malfoy, one of the Death Eaters, and can testify to what she heard and saw when they came to Malfoy Manor."

The judge nodded. "Bring forth the witness for the accused."

Rangnil motioned for Sirius to join her at the table. She still seemed shocked that he wasn't being tried, but had recovered enough to keep up with the current situation better than he was. He sipped from the goblet of water again.

Narcissa was escorted in by the same man who had led her away earlier. She looked fairly relaxed, this couldn't be more stressful to her than a ministry ball, though the pain from the clamps on her sensitive bits had to be irritating her.

She calmly placed her hands upon the book and raised her eyes to the judges.

"State your name."

"Narcissa Black."

"What can you tell us of Peter Pettigrew?" The left judge asked.

Narcissa sniffed, raising her nose as though she'd smelled something unpleasant. "He is currently alive and resident of the Malfoy Manor in England. He is a marked Death Eater, with the brand upon his left forearm. He led the resurrection ritual at the end of the Quad-Wizard Tournament and sacrificed his hand in order that his master was returned to physical form. The Dark Lord replaced his missing hand with a silver one, which apparently is fully functional."

The judges were each writing as she finished, she waited until they paused to continue.

"Back in eighty-one my former husband, Lucius Malfoy, informed me that there was no way that Sirius could be guilty as he knew who all of his fellow Death Eaters were, and he was certainly not among their number. Though again, Pettigrew was. Lucius was particularly proud of how Slytherin the former Gryffindor had acted in order to frame Sirius."

"Do you know what Mr. Pettigrew did to kill all of those muggles?"

Narcissa slowly shook her blonde tresses. "No, I have not heard what he did."

"You may retire, Miss Black." The central judge said.

Narcissa took a step back and dropped into a shallow curtsy before striding regally from the chamber.

She'd certainly done her part and Sirius would allow her to speak with her son as soon as it could be arranged. It would be public knowledge in the next few months that she was having his friend's children, but he wanted Draco to know much sooner.

"Defense, do you have anything else to present?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Rangnil said, as she stood. "Though he could not be present, Lord Potter has provided his, and Consort Potter's, memories of the events within the Shrieking Shack. These come certified by The Spear of the Light, Lady McKinnon herself."

The judges didn't seem to know how to react to this news, but Rangnil didn't wait, she signaled the man at the door, who pulled it open.

The first sound they heard was a solid thump of wood upon stone, and then Lady McKinnon was walking up the central aisle. She wore her formal black court robes, with her crest boldly stitched out in pearls upon her breast. The Spear was glowing enough to prevent anyone from looking directly at it.

"Merlin," Sirius whispered as the aura washed over him and he nearly wept.

She walked up to the book and placed her free hand upon it. "I am The Spear of the Light, Marlene McKinnon. I have in my possession the un-modified memories of Lord Potter and his Consort. Pertaining to the events at Hogwarts in the spring of ninety-four." Marlene stepped back and pulled two vials from an inner pocket of her robe and held them aloft to show the smoky contents.

"Great lady," the left judge said in a whisper, but the charms to enhance his voice made sure everyone in the chamber heard him. He covered his mouth with his fist, then let out a nervous cough before continuing. "We are honored by your presence. You may approach the bench and deposit the memories in our pensive."

Marlene released The Spear, which remained standing in the precise spot, and approached the judges.

The central judge turned around and came back a moment later with the ornate bowl.

Lady McKinnon pulled the cork's from both vials and poured them into the bowl. She stepped back to The Spear as the judges vanished into the memories.

An attendant came over and placed a chair behind her, then took the empty vials so the memories could later be kept as evidence within them.

"I didn't know you were coming." Sirius whispered.

Marlene only turned her head to see him in her peripheral vision. "It was a last minute thing. Valerie is covering my classes this morning."

"Well thank you." He said sincerely and tried to relax.

"This is important for Harry." She said and turned her head back to the judges to wait for them to exit the two memories.

It was nearly thirty minutes later that the judges came back to the courtroom. The whispered conversations that had started in the interim abruptly ceased. Each judge wrote a few notes, and then shared a private conversation.

"Lord Black, please stand." The central judge said.

Sirius, Rangnil, and Marlene stood. The light from The Spear grew slightly more intense as though readying itself for battle. Sirius glanced at Marlene, though she appeared relaxed she looked deadlier than he'd ever seen her. He didn't doubt that if the judges ordered his arrest she would get him out of the building, though her exemplary reputation would be lost.

"Lord Black, it is our determination that you have committed no crimes. We…"

The room erupted in conversation, Sirius couldn't help but let out a startled yelp of joy. Beside him his ever-stern barrister smiled and patted his hand. Beyond her Marlene's lips parted and her hand relaxed on the shaft of The Spear.

When silence was restored, the judge cleared his throat. "We proclaim you innocent, and award you twelve-thousand galleons in recompense for your unjust imprisonment. It will be declared in all forums a courier will announce it within the next Wizengamot and International Confederation meetings. We recommend you continue the therapy sessions for the foreseeable future, at least the next year. We will also issue arrest warrants for Mr. Pettegrew, as well as rescind his Order of Merlin. Unfortunately we can only hope the British Ministry recognizes this determination. Please be careful, lest your liberty be again in jeopardy."

"Thank you your honor." Sirius managed to say, though it was hardly loud enough for the judges to hear.

}-{

The first Hogsmeade weekend of their fifth year had arrived. The vast majority of students, third year and up, were heading down to the village. Madam Bones had arranged a large contingent of Aurors to patrol the town, and at least one Hit Wizard was also wandering about.

Inside the school, they were preparing to investigate the Room of Hidden Things, and hopefully destroy another Horcrux. The Headmaster had erected a pair of wards at either end of the corridor that would redirect everyone away from the area.

In addition to Harry and his ladies, Severus Snape and the Headmaster were present and standing on the opposite side from the Flamels whom were dressed as though going on an African safari. Mrs. Norwood had summoned her Auror team for the day, the six of them were alertly professional.

Susan stood nervously beside Hermione, as the bearer of the Bulwark she felt she had to accompany the others. The only one aware of this endeavor, and not present was Neville. Susan had convinced him to go on a date to Hogsmeade with her friend Padma Patil. The entire situation made the buxom ginger anxious as she wanted Neville to find a spouse for his ancestral line, but hated the idea of sharing him.

"Are you certain we need this many?" The Headmaster asked, looking concerned at the people waiting in the hallway.

"Yes." Mrs. Norwood said. "They're my team Headmaster, we've been together for nearly five years now and I trust them. Besides, from Consort Potter's description, this room is vast."

"Yes, well, I worry about word getting out as to what we are doing here." He said softly and removed his half-moon spectacles to clean them with a quick spell.

"None of them are Death Eaters or sympathizers. And I think if word does get out you can simply say we're making sure the items in the room do not pose a threat to the students."

"Thank you Mrs. Norwood." The Headmaster said with a nod and returned his glasses to his face.

"Hello everyone." Hermione said from a conjured stepstool. "I'm Hermione Granger, this is Harry Potter, Daphne Black, and Susan Bones, niece of Director Bones. I believe all of you know, Lady McKinnon, the Headmaster and the Flamels. So, what we are doing is searching a room, which the house elves call, the Room of Hidden Things. Apparently everything that gets lost, or people wish to prevent others from finding, ends up in here. There may easily be dangerous and deadly items present as well as historical artifacts of great significance. If you believe you've found something of import, locate the Flamels or the Headmaster to help identify it."

She paused and took a deep breath before shifting her tone from welcoming to serious. "Above all we're searching for this."

Daphne created an illusion of Ravenclaw's Diadem floating in the air above Hermione.

The assembled group began babbling, several pointing at it and remarking to their neighbor.

"Yes, it is Ravenclaw's Diadem." Hermione said loudly. "However, it has been cursed by Tom Riddle, whom most of you know as Voldemort."

That caused the discussions to stop, two of the Aurors shivered at the name, but quickly recovered.

"This is dark and deadly, be on your guard." Valerie said from where she stood. "Lord Potter and the younger ladies will stay with Lady McKinnon. They've promised to be careful and have proven trustworthy to this point. Two Aurors will accompany the Flamels and two will stay with the Headmaster and Professor Snape. The remaining pair will stay with me. Use Patronus messengers or send up sparks, we'll all come running."

The Headmaster then held up his hand and everyone turned to look at him. "I've only one further request. As most of you know, Hogwarts does not have any enchanted portraits of the founders. Please look for them as well."

"Are we ready?" Harry asked, and when he received a nod from the Headmaster he walked back and forth three times in front of the blank section of wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Just as he completed the third circuit a door appeared in the wall. Many of those present gasped, never having seen something like this before.

With a quick step, Harry pulled the door open and stepped back so others could see past him.

The scale was beyond vast, mountains of things were piled up to the point where they threatened to topple over. Tiny paths, just large enough for the house-elves to walk through, meandered between them. Just from the door they could see stacks of books reaching up to the ceiling and furniture piled up along with cauldrons, brooms, clothes and every other thing a school accumulates over a thousand years of operation.

"Oh, my." The Headmaster muttered.

"Like looking for a needle in a needle factory?" Hermione added.

"Let's spend two hours just looking around and see what we can find." Marlene said. "After that we can formulate a better strategy. Perhaps emptying the chamber and sorting each pile as we go?"

"Such a process, though would take years to complete, even running it every day, much less trying to keep it secret from the students and the world at large." Madam Flamel said.

Valerie nodded, "Alright, you heard the Lady, two hours of careful exploration. Do not disturb anything if you can help it. We're just looking at the surface layer, no digging for now."

"Might we go in first?" Nicholas asked eagerly.

"Yes," Valerie said. "Stephens and Jacobs, with them." The two Aurors quickly moved to enter the room behind the immortals.

"Headmaster?" Snape asked, looking into the room.

"Yes, certainly Severus." The Headmaster said and stepped into the room, a pair of Aurors trailing after them.

"Do you know where it is?" Daphne asked Hermione softly and received a short shake of the brunette's head in reply. With a sigh, the Lady Black drew her wand and headed into the labyrinth with Harry beside her.

}-{

Neville was far too nervous as he helped Padma up into the horseless carriage that would take them down to the village of Hogsmeade. He tried to tell himself to relax, but it just made him worse.

Once seated beside her, and the carriage began moving he tried to speak, but could only stare. The pretty Indian was dressed in short boots, pink jeans, a tight, white, button-down and light blue sweater that clung to her curves. Her long black hair was loosely braided down her back. She had a small black dot between her eyebrows and wore a gold half-inch circular hoop through her left nostril. The boy had only ever seen her wearing a small stud in her nose, this hoop had a pair of diamonds suspended in the center that caught in the morning light.

"Neville?" her soft husky voice seemed loud in the carriage.

"Um, yeah. Sorry." He said and rubbed his sweating palms down his own jeans.

She smiled softly and patted his arm. "If it helps, I'm nervous as well." She admitted with a light blush.

"Why?" squeaked out from his lips. Instantly he regretted it, but the word was out there between them.

She shrugged, "I suppose for the same reason as you. We're attempting to embark on a relationship. Neither of us is certain what that will entail or if it will last more than this day."

Neville blinked, then blinked once again and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. You're right of course. I don't want to mess this up."

She gave a slight smile, "Susan was most persuasive, but I'm not here for her. Would you really consider a bride not from this country? Much less one who does not meet the requirements for pure?"

"Weren't you born here?"

"Yes, I was, but am not a magical citizen of Great Britain. Neither am I Christian, I am Hindu. Are you open to learning or must I conform to British Pureblood culture and society?"

Neville couldn't answer her for nearly a minute as he caught up with everything she'd just said. By the time he managed to speak she was looking out the window as the gates of Hogwarts went by. "Padma, I'm not going to try to change you."

She turned back to him quickly, her braid flinging out and hitting the window behind her with a soft thump.

Finally finding his courage, he said. "Really. Longbottom's may not be as against-the-grain as Potters, but we're also not as bound to tradition as Blacks. Susan told me that your family stretches back over eight centuries, all magical, that's about where my family tree ends as well. So long as our children would be Longbottoms, and I could be Susan's Consort, there's nothing I'm unwilling to discuss."

Her expressive dark eyes searched his for a moment before she nodded. "Then let us try to have fun today and learn more about one another."

"I'd like that. Thanks." The carriage stopped so he quickly climbed out and then held his hand up to assist her down.

A pair of Aurors were nearby, each glanced in their direction and then ignored them.

Neville and Padma stepped to the side of the road as the carriage began moving on its own back up towards the school. Another cart was going to be here soon, so he started walking up the road and into the village proper.

More Aurors were walking around, mingling with the crush of students. A squeeze of his fingers called is attention to the pretty girl beside him.

"Where to?" she asked, looking around.

"Well, how about saving shopping for after lunch?"

"And for now we wander around and talk?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure." He nodded and diverted them down one of the many side streets. This one should lead them out to the more residential sections of town, and away from the crowds.

"So what was your first accidental magic?" she asked once they were no longer surrounded by their fellow students.

He laughed in spite of himself and then rubbed his free hand through his short sandy hair. "Well, unfortunately I didn't have any when I was really young."

"How old were you?"

"Eight."

"Really?" she asked a bit loudly.

His cheeks flushed and he felt sweaty in spite of the cool morning.

"Sorry, please tell me." She added when she saw his embarrassment.

"Well, they were afraid I was a squib."

"Oh," she said, but then trailed off and instead wrapped her arms around his, hugging the arm to encourage him.

"Yes, and my Great Uncle Algie decided to force magic out of me by chucking me out the fourth story window."

Her arms clenched around his but she didn't say anything. They'd reached the end of the street and were now amongst single story wizarding homes, each with a small garden of magical plants growing in front of them.

A pair of gnomes poked their potato-like heads out from their burrows to watch them walk by.

"Fortunately, I bounced." Neville finally said and she let out the breath she was holding. "Of course my family was ecstatic, I couldn't go near a window beyond the first floor for years."

"And that's why you couldn't manage the flying lesson in first year?" she said as the pieces came together. She was a Ravenclaw after all.

"Yes. So what was your first time?"

"Well." She said, her arms unwrapping from his to again hold his hand with hers. "My sister and I have always had trouble getting along. Neither of us was surprised to be in a different house when we got sorted. I've always been more studious and focused. Instead she wanted to play dress up or be a ballerina. Anyway, when we were six she had this annoying habit of singing silly songs when I was reading."

They hesitated at a crossroads, a pair of Aurors were off to the side in the shade of a tall rowan. Several couples were visible to the left, each walking with their heads bent close. As one they turned right and commenced walking again.

"She got me so mad that I stuck her lips together. She fumed, making grunting and other noises, but they were easier to ignore. Eventually she ran off to our mother. It was the first time I can remember having thirty minutes of un-interrupted time to read."

"And I've seen you make a, what do you call it, zip-your-lip gesture?"

Padma smiled and nodded. "Yep, that usually gets her to shut up when she'd being annoying.

"What's it like to have a sibling? I grew up with my Gran and often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister to play with?"

"Well." She said and then tugged him towards a small park, built around a massive double-trunked yew. An old stone bench was situated between the trunks, mostly hidden by the draping branches of the large tree.

After they were sitting she continued. "Like I said, we don't get on well. But there are times when we do. There are both good and bad times, but don't get me wrong, I love my sister and would help her no matter what. But I don't entirely trust her with secrets, she tends to be unable to keep them."

He scrunched his eyebrows down in thought. "So kind of like a best mate?"

Padma shrugged. "Sort of, except there is a bond that holds you together no matter what. We're blood, and twins to boot, though we've never been like the Weasley twins, completing one another's sentences."

"I guess the closest friend I've got is Harry. My mum is his godmother and his was mine. If we'd had a better October and November of eighty one, we would have likely grown up doing a lot of things together."

Now it was her turn to scrunch her eyebrows in thought.

"Go ahead and ask." He said after a moment, not looking in her direction.

She hesitated but then whispered the question. "What happened in November of eighty one?"

In spite of knowing what she was going to ask it took him almost a minute to speak. "Bellatrix Lestrange and three other Death Eaters broke into my family's home. They tortured my parents to insanity with the Cruciatus curse."

Padma shifted her arm around his shoulders, wriggling closer so their hips touched. She stayed like that and eventually found his hand with her free one and squeezed it.

}-{


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Instead of heading down to Hogsmeade with the rest of the school, Draco had asked Pansy to meet him in the library. Since the news of his parent's split, he'd been both silent and clingy. Clearly he was apprehensive about something but she'd managed not to pry and let him think it through.

Now, sequestered at the table Granger usually claimed, behind a privacy ward, he sat, pale and trembling a bit.

She tried to hold his hand, but instead settled for his arm.

"I'm sorry." He finally said, his eyes focused on his hands on the table.

"Draco, would you please explain it to me?" she whispered.

"So you know I spent the summer in France with my mum, she was supposed to portkey back with me before school, but didn't show up. We had stayed at the Furieux Chateau, a distant branch of the Blacks. Father doesn't know much really, but Lord Black, whoever that is, apparently found her there and prevented her from returning."

Pansy just managed to keep her expression passive and interested. She knew who Lord Black was, most seemed to have forgotten that Lord Potter had announced it in front of the Wizengamot. Regardless she wouldn't speak of it to others until she was certain that it was public information. She was confident she could speak of it with the Lady Black.

Draco was completely unaware of her inner turmoil, his attention still on his hands as they fidgeted on the table. He shrugged. "Anyway, Father received a notice from Gringotts, both of the annulment and the recuperation of the Black dowry."

"What of the woman pregnant with your heir?" she whispered when he grew silent.

He finally looked at her, his eyes troubled. "I don't know, she was Lord Furieux's niece, but I don't think he was Lord Black. He and Mum got on well, she never asked him to free her from Father."

His attention went back to his hands as he worried a hangnail. "All of that doesn't really matter right now I guess. But then Father mentioned you."

Pansy froze, ice formed in her spine. This couldn't be good. "What?" she prompted.

In the flattest voice she'd ever heard him use, he said. "We need money, and he's looking for someone to buy your contract from us."

Her heart stopped, she couldn't breathe, and the world dimmed around her for an infinite second. Then she sucked in a deep breath. "NO!"

Draco turned his head to look at her so fast she heard the bones in his neck protest.

Her anger was white-hot. "I will die before I go to someone I don't know."

He sat and watched her for a minute as she got her breathing under control.

"I am very upset you did not tell me this immediately when you knew. It could already be sold! Tell your father to stop looking. I will find my own suitor and you will make sure he accepts that offer!"

When he nodded, she stood and brushed her skirt flat. "I'm going to Hogsmeade. You will contact your father immediately with that information and tell me when I return if I've been sold!"

Pansy didn't wait for his response, with her nose in the air she walked quickly away from her former betrothed. She had to find Lady Black immediately.

}-{

Daphne went to her tip-toes as she slid through a narrow gap, her bust was apparently over head-height to the elves and they'd not been too careful maintaining the separation of the piles this far off the ground.

Behind her Hermione cursed when she reached the same gap. "We can't move anything?"

"No Mine." Harry said from just behind her, "here." He added and levitated her high enough to clear the obstacle.

Daphne grabbed Hermione's leg and guided her down beside her as Harry squatted and went under the picture frame that obstructed much of the passage.

"You enjoyed that too much." Hermione said softly to her companions as Marlene vanished the part of the frame that blocked the passage.

"Hey?" Harry protested.

"Non-magical frame, you had your fun." Lady McKinnon answered him with only a small smile on her painted lips.

"Watch it Lene." He growled, lust dilating his pupils.

"Not here." She admonished him and prodded his shoulder. The girls were already going around the bend ahead.

Susan shook her head, clearly they had forgotten her presence in their group. She hurried past the former picture frame's location, lest it re-appear before she could pass.

"Hello?" they heard from ahead and hurried to see whom Daphne was addressing.

"Oh, my." Harry said when the large magical painting came into view.

There was a gorgeous ginger woman, squatting over a man lying on the ground, his feet towards them. She continued to pound her dripping cunt on the man's massive erection. Each time she impacted his pelvis her generous bust bounced.

"Greetings, please come closer and observe my technique." The ginger woman in the painting said between thrusts.

The five came closer, not really aware just what was happening.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"It's called the Reverse-Cowgirl." The woman replied. "You need to learn all the possible combinations to pass the end of year exam."

"Are you teaching a class?" Daphne said, shaking her head.

The ginger repositioned her bare feet, outside of the man's hips. His hands moved from her hips, up to her torso, just below her breasts, and he began lifting her up, just to slam her down on his cock.

"Of course young lady!" her voice cut off in a rush of air as she was slammed down on his cock. She took a quick breath and continued as he lifted her. "How else are the children supposed to learn the proper forms for sex?" Another airy breath as she recovered from the downward journey. "Do you want everyone lying like cold fish? Merlin girl, find some passion!" the ginger said before closing her eyes and shattering into a massive climax on the next down-stroke.

The man didn't stop, forcing her to move on him and she showed no sign of protesting.

When she recovered she grinned at them. "Best job ever! Come on Jacob, harder, show these kids how a painted man does it!"

Marlene had herself pressed firmly into Harry's back, her free hand was in his pants, caressing his hard cock.

"That's it woman, make him so wild he won't be able to notice how lose your old cunt is compared to these young twats!" the ginger said to Marlene.

That broke the trance they were in.

"Sorry," Marlene said, with a hitch in her voice. She had tears on her cheek a moment later. Backing up she covered her face and turned away.

With a snarl, Daphne conjured a large black blanket and it landed over the ten foot tall frame. Several quick sticking charms kept it in position, and a strong silencing charm cut off the woman's protests.

By the time she turned to her aunt, both Harry and Hermione had moved to hug her. Harry very passionately kissing her mouth while Hermione whispering in her ear and occasionally flicking her tongue over Marlene's earlobe.

"Don't listen to that thing Lene." Daphne said and snuggled into her aunt's free side. "We love you."

"Mmph," was the only sound that escaped from her kiss with Harry.

Daphne knew that Harry couldn't let this barb pass, and a moment later his magic flared. With a quick jerk he pulled the front of Marlene's dress upwards.

Just before he pushed the Hit Witch against the near pile of desks, a stone wall appeared and he lifted the witch against it, their mouths never parting. Several quick spells by Hermione added three additional walls and a roof to their enclosure, she followed that conjuring up with silencing spells all around.

Daphne, realizing that they at least now had privacy, stepped behind Harry and quickly unbuckled his belt before unfastening his pants.

Marlene managed to get a hand between them and pulled her tight knickers to the side with her long fingers.

Harry slammed into her a moment later, finally forcing them to break the kiss as Marlene gasped, her legs spasmed wider apart as her arms tried to find purchase around his neck.

His magic flared, almost completely wild in his need to prove his desire to his witch. He buried his face in her heaving cleavage and growled like a wild animal in the heat of his passion.

Hermione and Daphne backed away, lest they be harmed by a high-heeled, flailing, dragonhide boot.

Then they noticed Susan peaking between her fingers at the scene before her. They shared a quick, panicked, look and began casting a ward between themselves and the ginger heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Bones.

}-{

Bellatrix, really needed to get her new name into her head, Andromeda had recommended a compulsion charm. She was no longer Bellatrix Black, but Ellayne Laurel Furieux. It was fortunate she knew a smattering of French before all of this, and the weeks' worth of lessons had gotten her through the ceremony at the Paris branch of Gringotts.

The news was in all of the papers today. Sirius Black was an innocent man. It did not mention that he was Lord Black, or even what country he was currently living in.

The only thing marring the day was Gringotts refusal to provide Andromeda with Flamel's de-ageing elixir. They would not accept any amount, which didn't seem possible knowing their greed for all things shiny. Apparently it was Flamel's criteria that was holding up the deal. The goblins wouldn't explain what the restrictions were, merely stating the she had had her chance.

"I believe I will return home and discuss this with our Lord." Andromeda said when they exited the bank. "Then perhaps head back to England and discuss it with Ted."

Bellatrix took Andromeda's hand and gave it a squeeze to try to comfort her sister, who still refused to make an admission that she was disappointed.

"I'm sorry that your plans have been ruined." Javona said. "Please inform our Lord that we should be home by dinner." She added, motioning for Bellatrix and Amanda to follow her into the bright sunlight of the magical shopping district of Paris.

Bellatrix, with a final glance to her sister, hurried after her new mother, who had yet to yell at her as her original one did constantly. They were going shopping! The first stop was the custom wand crafter, and she'd finally be able to use real magic again!

Fortunately, France had no laws about possessing multiple wands, so they were past the first question, what happened to her previous wand, just by being in another country. Having only ever been inside Olivanders, she was surprised at the lack of dust. The entire place was much like a high-end boutique.

"Welcome, mademoiselle." She was greeted by the woman when Javona pointed her out.

"Bonjour, J'ai besoin d'une nouvelle baguette magique." Bellatrix replied and hoped it was close enough to: hello, I need a new wand, to get her by.

An hour later Javona paid the clerk 35 galleons for the new wand, made of dragon heart strings and ebony wood. The twelve inches of dark wood had a four inch handle, that was slightly thicker than the rest and covered in a checkered pattern to help her hold the well-polished tool.

"Just over here to test it love." Javona said and the clerk led the three women into a long room with targets at the far end.

"What should I cast?" Bellatrix said, holding her wand a bit nervously.

"Bludgeoner." Amanda said with a nod of her head for emphasis.

"Everbo!" Bellatrix cast with the familiar motion. She had always been a powerful, skilled, witch. She had become respected and feared for a reason. She wasn't prepared for the spell that rocketed from her new wand and obliterated the target at the far end.

While the three of them stood in shock the sale clerk nodded. "Bit high and left dear, but otherwise well cast." A quick flick of her own wand repaired the target and she walked back into the main store.

Javona recovered first, motioning for Bellatrix to holster her wand and then shooing them from the testing range. Once back on the street she directed the two teenaged girls to a small confectioners a few doors down the lane. "Wouldn't a few petit fours go down just perfectly right about now?"

"Oui," Amanda answered quickly and dragged Bellatrix to the counter and began rapidly pointing out her favorites.

Fortunately the clothes shopping was much less shocking, though Bellatrix had to keep reminding herself that French fashion allowed for the artful display of the female form.

Amanda helped her a lot in this respect, having worn a peach-colored spaghetti-strapped dress that clearly showed her developing figure and most of her long legs. Each time she emerged from the dressing room, her new sister also gushed over how perfectly the new clothes fit her.

"No one seems to recognize you." Bellatrix asked her new mother, while they were walking to the apparition point.

"There are over a million magicals in France. If I told someone my name, they would respond to it, we are well respected. But no, since I am not a member of the government or a prominent citizen myself, there is no reason for others to know me on sight."

"Oh, everyone always knew who we were. I like this better." Bellatrix said after a moment's thought.

"Perhaps we can keep it that way for a bit." Javona said, taking one of each girl's hands in hers and side-along apparating them all back to Chateau Furieux. "At least for a few more days. Once we're known to associate with both Lord Black and Lord Potter, that may change." She said once they were in the grand foyer of their current home.

"Though when we move to England, we'll become known fairly soon I suppose." Bellatrix said with a thankful squeeze of her mother's hand. "Thank you for taking me shopping."

"Of course dear." Javona said. "Now go unpack and sort out your new things. Dinner will be soon."

"I'll help." Amanda said, tugging Bellatrix up the grand stairs.

Once the girls were gone around the bend in the stairs, Remus came around the corner with Narcissa following.

The Werewolf was dressed in black Acromantula silk pants, a grey linen shirt, covered by a knee-length Ironbelly-hide coat. He led Narcissa by a heavy length of chain, attached to her tall collar.

Other than her collar, the former Lady Malfoy, wore a black silk thing that left her breasts, cunt and anus completely exposed, while hugging the remainder of her torso, arms and legs. Her arms were folded behind her back, hands up between her shoulder-blades and she walked on tall black heels that were actually locked on her feet by a pair of small padlocks.

She looked decidedly angry with her current situation, but kept her jaw clenched tightly shut.

Remus froze when he saw Javona in the entrance hall, then cleared his throat to help them both recover from their mutual surprise. "We're going out to celebrate Lord Black's freedom. Rangnil told us about this place in Nice. Sirius is in the parlor, writing a letter to Harry."

"Yes," Javona said and stepped over to Narcissa, quickly slapping one of the woman's impressive breasts to get her attention. "Do not bring shame on this house! Serve your punishment like the lady you are!"

While Narcissa tried to decide what she should do or say, Javona grabbed both of her nipples and pinched them while pulling down.

Narcissa let out a plaintive cry and bent over to relieve some of the pain.

Javona released her and stepped back, with a tremor she controlled herself and her sudden anger seemed to vanish. Turning to Remus she said. "I've heard of these places Mr. Lupin. Ensure no harm comes to her, and especially the children she carries. They are, after all, Blacks!"

"Certainly." Remus said, meeting her eyes. "We'll stay in the orgy chambers."

She nodded and with a final, angry, look at Narcissa, walked from the room in the direction of the parlor.

}-{

Pansy reached the magical village, she'd cried a bit while alone in the carriage, but now had herself back under control. She would locate Daphne Black and beg her to have her Lord purchase her contract. She'd then belong to Sirius Black, but he'd made Harry his heir, and allowed Daphne to supplant his own lady's role. He couldn't be as bad as whatever Death Eater Lucius Malfoy found.

She located Davis in the back of the pub, necking with some older boy. It took them a minute or so to notice she was there.

"What do you want Parkinson?" Tracey asked through her mussed hair.

"I'm looking for Lord Potter and his ladies, do you know where they are?"

Tracey looked at her intently for a moment, the words she'd been about to spit, died. Instead she sobered and turned to face her fellow Slytherin. "They had a project to work on with the Headmaster, and were going to come down to the village tomorrow. I don't know where they are or what they're doing, but they're not—"

A loud explosion cut her words off. They heard screaming in the distance.

Pansy looked around frantically. Tracey slid from the booth and drew her wand. "Were you serious Jasper? You're cousin been teaching you how to actually fight?"

The older boy grunted as he nodded and stood from the bench. The seventh year was huge, towering over both girls. He drew his wand with an eager grin. "I'm right with you." He said in a deep voice and moved towards the back door of the pub.

Pansy hurried to follow them both, drawing her own wand. She knew some nasty curses, enough to discourage the older boys in her house at least. Besides, wherever there was fighting, Harry Potter was bound to shows up.

}-{

Neville and Padma had been sitting for over an hour in the shelter of the double-trunked yew. After their initial fumbled conversation, in which they'd both managed to embarrass the other, they'd each relaxed enough to continue discussing their likes and dislikes.

Padma had revealed that she played the violin, and was actually taking lessons from a tutor who flooed in from Austria each week.

Neville was considerably impressed, but when he tried to put his own abilities down she covered his mouth with her small hand.

"Now you stop that this instant Neville Longbottom! I will not stand for you to perpetuate this. You are top of our class in Herbology, most of those plants still terrify me. We've each got our own strengths and weaknesses, work to moderate what you're not good at and strive to be better at the things in which you excel."

His eyes were wide, but he couldn't actually speak, she was still covering his mouth.

"You nod." She said, and only uncovered his mouth when he did. "Now, no more of that."

"Alright. I'll try. And thanks."

She smiled and gave him a gentle hug. "Now, how about we head towards The Three Broomsticks? I'm getting a bit hungry."

"Yeah, sure." He said and stood.

Just as they emerged from the shelter of the yew a series of pops happened in the middle of the street to their left.

Neville took a quick look, six figures in black robes and white masks, and ran towards the nearest building, pulling a surprised Padma along behind him.

Several spells came in their direction. He heard an explosion in the distance, closer to town.

With a startled cry, Padma fell.

Neville spun, flicking his new wand from the concealed holster up his sleeve. He wasn't sure if Padma had been hit, or just tripped. She was still moving, struggling to get up, but he couldn't even look down to really see what was going on.

"Progeto!" he cast, summoning a magical shield to protect her from a pair of curses. They splashed against his shield, but he pushed more magic into it, as Lady McKinnon had taught him, and the spells shot back at their casters.

One of them was too surprised and was hit in the abdomen by his own spell. He was neatly cut in half by the cutting curse.

The other managed to step out of the way, and his spell hit the side of a house, setting the roof on fire.

Neville quickly cast a trio of bludgeoning hexes at the three standing Death Eaters. He hit one of them in the shoulder, spinning the man and breaking the shoulder of his wand arm. Two of them had apparently ignored the fleeing teens to rush towards the pair of Aurors on the far side of the garden.

Padma was up, and pulling him along, towards the shelter of the alley between the nearest homes.

With another hasty bludgeoning hex at the Death Eater, that seemed to be more intent on chasing them, he ran after her.

Once behind the house he ran flat out in the general direction of Hogwarts. Padma was able to keep with him for about a block, but then started quickly fading. He'd been working out now for several weeks with Lady McKinnon. Other than walking between classes, Padma was a fairly sedentary person.

"This way." Neville said, grabbing her arm and pulling her between two houses, heading more eastward.

She didn't answer, struggling as she was to just breathe and keep running.

When they reached the corner of the house he pulled her down, against a small garden wall. "Are you hit?"

She shook her head, eyes wide.

"We're going to try to get to the Shrieking Shack. That's two streets over." He added, pointing across the one they were at.

Padma gulped, and nodded rapidly a few times to show she understood. Her breathing was only a bit under control at this point.

He felt speed was more important than stealth so he rose to a crouch and looked over the rough wall, wand at the ready.

There were a pair of Death Eaters to their right, both shooting spells at a house. He wasn't sure why, but it did present him with an opportunity. He took a calming breath and whispered a spell at the tree nearest them.

It was a fairly long incantation, most Herbology-based ones were, but he knew he got it right when the tree suddenly swept it's branches down and into the nearest Death Eater's side. The tips of the branch whipped the second black-robed figure, knocking it over and cutting deeply into his flesh.

The first one was down, dead or knocked out, didn't matter to him. The second was clearly distracted so Neville grabbed Padma's hand and ran across the street.

He felt something hit his side just before they reached the shelter of the next alley. With a grunt he kept running, Padma was still on her feet, panting hard as she tried to keep up with his pace.

The Shack was in sight, he didn't pause at the next street. This was a back lane, seldom used and partially wooded. Moments later they were in the woods on the far side and he slowed to a jog.

"Hurry!" she huffed out, pushing his shoulder.

Without thinking he ran the last two hundred meters and up to the boarded-up door. "Marauders." He said, while tugging on the handle. The door creaked open. He pulled Padma inside, closed the door and collapsed into the dust.

It was only then that he noticed the blood coming from his side.

"Oh." He said. His eyes found Padma's just as darkness encroached upon him.

"NO!" he heard her say after his eyes closed.

}-{

Astoria had carefully chosen her companions for the journey to Hogsmeade today. She was making a point of continuing her friendship with both Luna and Ginny. They were tightly tied together via both family obligation and the friendship they'd formed this summer. She'd received some looks from her housemates, but after pointing out the Black crest on Luna's robe, and the Potter crest on Ginny's, most of them kept quiet.

In addition to the two girls, Ginny had invited Colin Creevey from Gryffindor to join them and Astoria had convinced Michael Selwyn to accompany them. He'd grumbled, but not really protested. She'd chosen him because he was a distant cousin and she was certain he would help her, as he told her every few days how pretty she looked.

"Dennis wanted me to get him one of everything from the sweet shop." Colin said shortly after they arrived in the village.

"Hope you brought a few galleons." Michael said without looking at the muggle-born wizard.

"I've got two." Colin said and dug his hands into his pocket where they heard the coins jingle.

"Don't worry about it." Ginny said. "I've got my allowance. I'll treat, since I asked you to come with me."

Colin froze in his tracks, his cheeks going red. "Um, is this supposed to be a date?" he squeaked out a moment later.

While Michael barked a laugh, Ginny moved right in front of her house-mate and had a brief, whispered conversation.

"What's the matter Michael?" Luna said from Astoria's other side. "Aren't you on a date with Stori?" She giggled as the pure-blood wizard took his turn blushing.

The whole group was suddenly laughing and moving on into Honeydukes Sweetshop.

Mr. Flume shrunk their packages after ringing them up and the laughing group headed back out onto the main road of the magical village.

"Wow, I didn't realize it would be so busy." Colin said when they were free of the crowd around the shop.

Ginny shrugged. "Well everyone wants to buy sweets." She said, sucking on a blood-pop. "At least the ones sold here won't turn you into a canary like my brother's stuff does." She added, making them all laugh once again.

Several loud pops happened down the road, immediately followed by an explosion and screaming.

"My turn." They heard from behind them. "Petrificus Totalus." Someone cast.

As they were turning around Astoria locked up like a board and fell to the ground with a thud.

Theodore Nott didn't wait, he cast a quick, "Stupify" at Michael, who passed out from the spell a second after it hit him. He was casting another spell at Colin, "Coe—"

When Ginny's famous Bat-Bogey hex hit him. "Clava Mocus," she cast.

Colin charged the larger boy, fists flying. They crashed to the ground in the alley between the two shops.

Luna and Ginny followed them, trying to get a spell off on Nott. Neither of them saw the stunning spell Ron cast from behind them. He followed that up with another at the wrestling boys on the ground.

When everyone was unconscious, he ended the spells on Nott and helped the boy up.

"Let me just Obliviate these others then?" Lockheart said and used his patented smile on the two boys.

}-{

Daphne was on the edge of panic, the ward wouldn't be enough. Harry's magic would destroy it if he had any interest in Susan Bones, and that was a fools bet. She left Hermione to finish the ward, she was far better at it to begin with, and knelt behind Harry.

He was ever so close to his release, her aunt would surely have bruises on her back where she'd been pounded into the wall, though she showed no sign of concern right now.

She dove into her Occlumency, finding the nascent bond they shared, and poured everything she could into widening her connection to Harry. Nothing happened for a moment, but she kept pushing. It began to change, more of his emotions poured into her, she ran her hands up his back, under his shirt, and pushed hard enough for her long nails to leave marks on his flesh.

Leaning forward she pressed her forehead to the sheath of Hope on his back and he erupted, filling her aunt with his seed. As his magic surged, she pulled it into herself with everything she had.

Daphne Black was a tough, strong witch, she'd gained her reputation honestly. Brutally suppressing any who challenged her or threatened her. But in this she had to completely surrender, she had to pull his magic and desire into herself, completely accepting him, lest they add another witch to their bed.

Then the surge hit her and she screamed, her vision went completely white. Harry echoed her scream as his legs gave out and both he and Marlene fell atop her.

"Daph?" she heard from a great distance, then it repeated and her eyes snapped open.

"What?" she groaned out, as he hovered over her.

"You broke your left arm, well one of us did when we fell on you."

"Bugger." She muttered and tried to lay still, yeah that arm wasn't responding, probably numbed and immobilized.

"Just give me a few minutes." Susan said, almost calmly, from out of her vision.

"Thank you." Harry said and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then her lips.

She could only manage a lazy response to his lips. "Did I do it?" she asked when they parted.

"Yes, my dear." Marlene said from behind him. "I'm sorry." She added a moment later.

"What?"

"She means we're sorry we couldn't control ourselves." Harry said, and pressed another kiss to her cheek before sitting down on the floor and holding her right hand.

Only then did Daphne realize she was lying half on Hermione, who was sitting against one of her conjured walls. She had one arm tight under Daphne's breasts, keeping her close, and the other slowly stroking her stomach.

A tear hit her cheek from above and she jerked from the impact. "Sorry, so sorry." Hermione said through her tears.

"Mine?" Daphne asked, pulling her hand free from Harry to reach up and caress Hermione's cheek, which she found to be wet.

"You were right, my ward wouldn't have been strong enough."

"But it worked, right, I kept Harry's magic from claiming Sue?"

"Yes, and thanks." Susan said from close to her left, but Daphne didn't look, instead she kept her eyes upwards on her best friend and lover who slowly nodded.

"Not that I have anything against Harry mind you, the three of you are obviously very happy and content. I wouldn't want to cause strife, especially when I've kind of made an arrangement with Neville." Susan prattled along.

Susan must be working on her arm, she was the best healer among their group.

"Daphne dear." Marlene said and knelt beside Harry. "You could have burned out your own magic."

"Yes, that was a possibility." She said, her functioning hand still slowly caressing Hermione's cheek. "But since we're bonded, his magic wouldn't see me as a threat, no matter what I did to it. So I pulled with everything I had, yanking as much of it into myself as possible. It hurt, yeah. But I figured that was the better option."

"Daphne," Harry said, his voice quivering. "Thank you. Don't think for a moment that I'll ever push you away. You're one of my witches, I claim you until the end of time."

She felt her magic react to that, her link to the bond grew considerably firmer. That was when she noticed that the connection she'd forced open was considerable larger than it had been.

Daphne finally tore her eyes away from Hermione to look at Harry. "I'm here, and don't plan on going anywhere for over a century. I've got babies and grand-babies to have and to meet."

All of the ladies laughed at that and when their smiles subsided Susan spoke up again. "Alright, that should do it. You're going to have to take some Skeligrow tonight to finish the knitting of the bones, but otherwise it's safe to be up and around."

"Thank you Sue." Daphne said, finally looking to her left. She was surprised to see her arm looking normal and raised her eyebrow in question.

"I've healed it, well mostly. There's also a fairly strong impervious charm on your sleeve. That should prevent you from hurting it. This way, no one else needs to know anything happened in here. Lady McKinnon says she's got Skeligrow in her chambers, and they will make sure you take it before bed."

While Daphne absorbed that information, Harry put his arms under hers and wrapped them around behind her. In one smooth motion, he picked her up. With them both now standing he continued to hold her, gently, but firm enough to provide stability in case she toppled.

"Thank you. Everyone." Daphne said as Hermione took Sue's hand and stood, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"So are we good?" Daphne asked, pointedly looking at Susan who nodded firmly.

"I'm thankful for your actions, both of yours." Susan added, with a quick gesture to Hermione. "Bones is an ally of both Potter and McKinnon. I'm one of the three bearers of an ancient Artifact of Light. Of course your secrets are safe with me."

"Thank you Susan." Marlene said. Whatever embarrassment she might have had for being the target of Harry's need while the ginger was present, seemed to have vanished.

Daphne put her left arm slowly around Hermione's waist and kissed her. "Can you get rid of this stone tomb love?"

"Yes." Hermione said and the granite walls slowly dissolved. They'd apparently shoved two of the piles a bit as they came into existence, but fortunately neither had toppled.

"Let's get out of here." Harry said and began the return journey through the vast chamber.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

 **A/N: Some of the scenes in this chapter jump around. Yes there is a bit of time travel, which will be explained as soon as Hermione figures out what happened. Dumbledore's departing the school and arrival in Hogsmeade is the constant here. He does not travel in time. (At least not in this chapter). Gol**

}-{

Javona found Lord Black in the parlor. She reflected a moment on how different the house felt with her brother exiled. There had always been a pallor of oppression, Nicholas had demanded everything happen the way he wished, regardless of whom it hurt. That had led to his agreement with Narcissa.

She'd only ever felt capable of killing someone when she'd heard his decision. It was a near thing, but in the end she'd capitulated to his will. Something she'd regret for the rest of her life.

That was why she'd jumped at the opportunity Sirius had presented. Black was primary over all the extended branches. It didn't matter that he was half-insane at the time, or that he was the last. He was their Lord, the family magic would force them to obey any direct order he gave.

So Narcissa was being punished, though Amanda was still pregnant. Not even Lord Black would willingly end the life of an unborn. Children were sacrosanct in the magical world. Which was why she'd threatened Mr. Lupin.

Some of those bondage houses took things to the extreme, including killing for sexual pleasure.

With great effort she suppressed the need to shiver at what Narcissa was about to experience. She calmed her features, and found a smile for Lord Black. Knocking lightly on the doorframe with her knuckle she walked into the room.

He looked up from his letter and gave her a smile in return, motioning for her to join him. "Come, sit. Tell me about the shopping. Andi stopped by, so I know of the goblin's decision."

Javona's smile twitched to a brief frown before she joined him at the table he was using to compose his missive. "I believe Ella was most pleased with the results, especially finally receiving a new wand. Her test spell was one of the strongest I've ever seen from a teenager."

Sirius was nodding, though his smile had dropped from his face. "You know she could still become dark."

"No," Javona said, with a solid shake of her head. "So long as she is loved and respected, she will flourish. You've seen her remorse at hearing what she's done. Though I suspect she's always been more of a witches-witch, if she finds the right beau, she would make a wonderful wife."

His worried eyes met hers when she finished speaking. "If you're sure. I ran away from my home to live with the Potters, it was only there that I saw what a real family could be like. Father was very strict, and mother had lost her mind before I turned ten." He shrugged. "I can see how happy most families are, but then my mind goes back to the beatings and 'training' at my father's hands."

Sirius drifted off, his eyes wandering around the elegant filigree that bordered the crown molding.

She let him wander for only a brief time before putting her hand lightly on his shoulder. That snapped his attention back to her with a surprised jerk. "You're building a new House of Black. Between yourself and Mr. Potter, I dare say that those family traditions are dead. Time to settle new ones My Lord."

"Yes, you're right of course. It's just hard to remember that I'm free of both prisons, the one I was raised in, and the one I was later imprisoned in." He tapped his temple, "Sometimes in here I'm still locked up with Dementors prowling nearby. I can even feel their unnatural chill."

She gave him a warm smile, which he hesitantly returned. "You must think of all the positive things. You're now a free man, hopefully soon to be acknowledged in England, and can now help Mr. Potter in his own pursuits."

"Speaking of." Sirius said, looking down at the letter he was composing. "Lady McKinnon passed Rangnil a letter, which she handed me as we departed. Apparently Draco Malfoy has told others he has begat an heir, though not upon whom. Harry is asking if I know, and can identify or locate the child."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly full of fear for her daughter.

His eyes closed briefly. "That's the troubling part. Apparently Miss Parkinson, whom is betrothed to Draco, wants out of her contract. If the Malfoy line goes extinct—"

"No." she managed to push out through her suddenly too-tight throat.

"Then she is freed. Otherwise she will need to be purchased from them." Sirius finished, over her protest and obvious terror. "I have no intention of harming your daughter or her child."

"Oh." Javona said and slumped into her chair, hands twisting in her lap as she looked down at them.

He gave her a moment to compose herself before continuing. "I'm trying to figure out how to answer his question, without giving away her identity."

"Mr. Potter wouldn't purchase that girl out of her contract, would he?"

"No. And I doubt Malfoy would be willing to sell her to him. No, she needs to be purchased by a family that the blonde ponce will believe is dark."

"Which rules us out as well." She said softly.

"Yes." Sirius ran his free hand through his hair, only then noticing she had gripped the other tightly.

"We need to know the details of the contract." She finally said. "Can she be freed by the owner of it? If we make an inquiry through Gringotts, do you think we could get a copy of the betrothal?"

"For a fee, those little flesh-eaters, will sell just about anything." Sirius said with a snarl. "Yes, we'll make an official inquiry as to her price and ask for the contract."

"But who could purchase her?"

Sirius shrugged, "That's a question for another time I believe."

"Yes," Javona said with a nod, "As to the trip. We spent quite a bit of gold, purchased Ella a new wardrobe and got both her and Amanda the books the tutors listed. Both seemed quite eager to begin their studies once again."

"Good. I hope they do well with the tutors. And that reminds me, when do we return to England? At the latest, I need to make an appearance at the Yule session of the Wizengamot."

"I think you should see how the announcement of your innocence goes. You've mentioned Madam Bones will endorse it. But how far will that go? Will the Minister finally rescind the Kiss-On-Sight order?"

Sirius closed his eyes a moment, took several calming breaths, and nodded. "My worst fear is that the Ministry refuses to change their stance. Even with Dumbledore taking over the last session, and the Minister's Undersecretary being sentenced to Azkaban, Fudge is still the Minister."

"Well." Javona said, lightly gripping his forearm on the table. "We're safe here. Or we can move somewhere else and they can join us. I know this is part of the last war continuing, but perhaps it would be better to help Mr. Potter grow stronger first."

"No." Sirius said, slowly shaking his head. "Lady McKinnon won't abandon the fight against the Dark. Harry won't leave her to die. That boy's as loyal as any Puff, but brave as the Son of Gryffindor he is."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only noise in the house, the faint echo of the younger girls giggling and talking in the distance.

"Then I don't know." She eventually said. "But my three girls are my priority. I've got to keep them safe."

"Yes, on that we agree." He eventually said.

}-{

Pansy followed Tracy and Jasper out the back door of the Three Broomsticks. The explosion still echoed in the tight alley. There was a lot of screaming from the main street.

The magically amplified voice of Daphne Black yelled over the cacophony of noise. "STORI, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Bugger." Tracey muttered and hesitated. She half-turned to head back through the Three Broomsticks, directly towards the main confrontation, and her best friend. "No," she said a bit firmer, "we'll circle around to the shops."

"Should we help them?" Jasper asked softly.

Tracey shook her head sharply. "No, if she's here, then Lady McKinnon and Potter should be as well. They'll be in the thick of it. If Nott's using this to make his move on Astoria, there's no way she'll get through that in time."

Pansy remained quiet, like most of the girls in Slytherin, she was always careful around the upper year males in the house. They would take what they wanted from those un-prepared to defend themselves. Nott had a mission from the Dark Lord himself, and this attack by his followers could well be a part of those plans.

Tracey hurried down the alley and peered between the bar and the Owl-Post Office beside it, back towards the main street. Apparently deciding that it was safe she leapt across the opening and sheltered behind the Owl-Post Office, a giggle erupting from her throat.

Pansy made sure that Tracey's big boyfriend was between herself and the main street when they crossed the same opening.

With a soft scoff, Tracey continued on to the other side of the Owl-Post Office, it directly abutted the building beside it and then they were in the back yard of one of the larger homes in the village.

So far they hadn't really seen anything, but the screaming and spell-fire was getting louder. A purple spell shot past the gap between the houses in front of them and crashed into something further down the road. Tracey was certainly not heading away from the fighting. Like her best friend, she was seeking it.

Pansy could only hope they could handle whatever they came across as she followed them through a short picket fence and into the front yard of the home.

Jasper reached forward and pulled Tracey tightly against his chest, and behind the edge of the house, with a long arm around her waist. "Careful hon." He said as she got her balance back under control. Only then did his arm loosen enough for her to step away from him.

"STUDENTS TAKE SHELTER!" Professor McGonagall's enhanced voice rang over the village. "DO NOT MOVE ALONG THE ROADS, DEFEND YOURSELVES!"

Jasper poked his head around the corner, then jerked back. "Looks like a pitched battle between Aurors and Death Munchers." He growled. "What do you say about unloading on the Munchers?"

Tracey shrugged. "None of them are my blood." She then looked at Pansy and raised her eyebrow in question.

"If one of them's my father or uncle, I hope they die." She said in a soft hiss, remembering just what they'd gotten her into with the betrothal contract. She was actually looking forward to hearing of their death or capture, should they be stupid enough to participate in an attack on school children.

"Well then." Jasper said. "I'll do a quicksand hex under them. Give me a few seconds to start, then hit them."

"Sure." Tracey said, with a broad grin on her face. She then twirled her wand around her hand and held it up, ready to cast.

Jasper started muttering, his wand dancing in an intricate pattern, Herbology-based spells were tricky that way. Tracey stepped to the side a bit, to give herself a clear path to the black-robed men, and started a bludgeoning hex.

Pansy shrugged, took a half-step to the right to clear her own view, and sent a bludgeoning hex in the direction of the Death Eaters. It was too far for her to be able to hit anyone specific so, like the others, had chosen an area-affect spell.

Jasper's spell made it to them just before Tracey and Pansy's did. The result was a pile of black robed men, sinking in the ground. Many of them stunned by the double punch of the girl's hexes.

"Alright!" Tracey exclaimed, grabbed Jasper, and planted a solid kiss on his lips.

Pansy looked away, checking the other direction on the road. Other than two motionless red-robed figures, it was empty. She gulped, those Aurors were likely dead, and looked back to where the fight was.

Three Aurors were visible on the street, still behind some conjured cover, but they looked to be stunning and levitating the Death Eaters out of the quicksand.

"Let's go check Honey Dukes." Pansy said, and headed along the side of the house, back towards the Three Broomsticks. She stopped before the corner, and looked carefully around it.

"Merlin," she hissed, and turned to speak to Jasper and Tracey. They were still back at the other corner, in a heated snog session. She growled and ran back to them, roughly pushing the large boy to get his attention.

"What?" Tracey managed to say when her mouth was unsealed from her boyfriends.

"Wasn't Ronald Weasley in custody? He's in the alley beside Honey Dukes with Lockhart and Nott."

Neither of them said anything, but the expression on Tracey's face shifted from happy and playful to deadly serious. "Cover me." She said and stalked to the corner where Pansy had seen them.

}-{

"So which of these lovely little ladies is mine?" Gilderoy said with a smile and a twirl of his wand. He'd just finished obliviating each of them, except Astoria, of the actual fight. Each now thought Astoria got in an argument with Michael and stormed back to the school.

The magically amplified voice of the Ice Queen yelled over the cacophony of noise. "STORI, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I've got to take her to the east side of town." Nott said, his eyes a bit wide at the sound of Daphne's voice and gestured to the still-frozen Astoria.

"And I've been after this bint for years." Ronald said, trying to levitate Luna, but his spell failed when he said it wrong.

"Then the ginger must be mine." Gilderoy smiled and levitated Ginny.

"Tha's my sister!" Ron complained.

"STUDENTS TAKE SHELTER!" Professor McGonagall's enhanced voice rang over the village. "DO NOT MOVE ALONG THE ROADS, DEFEND YOURSELVES!"

Lockhart shrugged, "So you've already claimed her? Well, we can trade?"

Ronald looked confused. Nott merely shrugged his shoulders, cast a Disillusionment on Astoria, then himself, and levitated her, before walking down the alley. Neither of the escaped men noticed him, deep in their argument over the fate of the two young girls.

}-{

Pansy was just able to keep up with Tracey as she seemed determined to kill the men she'd seen.

Jasper didn't question their goal, though even the Ravenclaw seemed a bit confused. That could have been because his girlfriend's hand had been inside his pants when Pansy separated them.

Tracey rounded the corner without pause, her wand came up, and she sent another bludgeoning hex at the confrontation on the other side of the main street.

Jasper started running, passing his girlfriend before she reached the main road.

Ronald and Lockhart seemed to be arguing, gesturing to two of the smaller figures laying in the alley near them.

Tracey's spell slammed into their torso's and sent them tumbling arse-over-tit. There was no sign of Nott.

Jasper made Tracey stop when she reached him.

"Where the fuck is Nott?" Tracey snarled.

"He was there," Pansy said with a quick gesture. "Down further, about where those two landed."

"Can't have gone far then." Jasper said and took Tracey's hand to pull her along with him across the main street.

Pansy tried not to look back towards the Three Broomsticks, but she couldn't prevent herself from glancing that way. The sight almost made her stop in her tracks. Right in front of The Three Broomsticks, there was a pitched battle between an army of black-robed Death Eaters, Lady McKinnon, a mess of Aurors, and Harry Potter.

Pansy ran straight into Jasper's back in the alley on the other side of the road, bounced off, and landed on her ass in the street. She quickly scrambled up and out of view of the main road.

"Astoria is missing." Tracey said in a voice as cold as she'd ever heard Daphne Greengrass use.

"Nott must have taken her that way." Jasper said, pointing further down the alley where Lockhart and Ronald were getting to their feet.

"Don't have time for this." Tracey said and ran after Nott, leaping Lockhart's legs without pause.

Jasper let out a huff of protest, but quickly ran after her.

Pansy was torn between going back to the main street and helping Harry Potter. Where he was Daphne and Hermione were sure to be. But, Pansy was well aware that Nott had a mission from The Dark Lord, and with the amount of time he'd spent hovering near Astoria, it wasn't too far a stretch to imagine it involved the younger Greengrass. She'd never forgive herself if Nott kidnapped Astoria, and she certainly couldn't ask her older sister for a favor.

Decision made, she paused only long enough to enervate the group of students and stun Lockhart and Ronald.

"What happened?" one of the boys asked her retreating back, but she had to catch up so didn't answer. They'd figure out they needed to get the Aurors. She hoped.

Pansy wasn't sure where Tracey and Jasper had gone, but there were few choices, and most of those went back to the main road. So she ran on, barely pausing at the intersections before continuing forward. She was finally grateful for being included in Potter's daily exercise activities. Without those torture sessions she would be lying down to take a nap.

She finally heard Tracey's voice, she was cursing up a storm from off to the left. Pansy went around the building the other direction, thinking she might get behind Nott. _Morgana, you're stupid Pan!_ She thought to herself, before tapping her head and casting a Disillusionment spell, then a silencing spell on her feet. With a quick dive into her Occlumency exercises, she rounded the corner, wand at the ready.

Nott wasn't alone, was the first thing she noticed. There were two Death Eaters who seemed to be helping him fight Jasper and Tracey.

Astoria was lying face down in the dirt, only twenty feet away from her. And she wasn't moving! Could she be dead?

She almost put a piercing hex through one of the Death Eaters. With a quick shake of her head she crept slowly over to Astoria. Two spells, that was all she needed to cast on the girl.

"Get the bitch." One of the men said, and Pansy froze. That was her uncle's voice. Which meant the other man was likely her own father.

Fortunately they weren't talking about Astoria or her. Apparently Tracey was the subject of her uncle Orion's ire. He was bleeding from his left shoulder, probably a piercing hex from Tracey.

She moved forward again, it looked like Astoria was under a full body bind. She wanted to release the girl, but couldn't risk her getting their attention.

Finally beside Astoria, Pansy checked to make sure that no one was looking in her direction and quietly cast a Disillusionment spell on the prone girl.

No cry of discovery came as she crouched there in the dirt. A silent Levitation charm and Pansy started slowly backing up. She wasn't concerned about Tracey or Jasper, they could obviously hold their own.

A sharp cry of pain made Pansy look up at Nott and the Death Eaters. Nott had been hit in the chest by something nasty. Blood was pouring from him as he struggled to get up and run.

A second spell flew from the other side of the house and sliced clean through his torso. The corpse flopped to the ground, spasming in death.

Pansy just managed to bite her tongue instead of crying out. Her left hand closed around Astoria's dress and she made her legs move backwards once again. They were sure to notice the girl was missing at any time.

Her uncle did a moment later. "Where did the bint go?"

"Huh?" the other man asked, his attention back down the alley. He cast two spells that shattered the walls of both buildings, sending a huge plume of debris flying into the air.

Then someone ran past Pansy, towards the men.

With a cry of triumph, Tracey Davis sent a piercing hex into her father's back and drove her knife into Pansy's uncles throat as he turned.

Both men collapsed, her uncle slashed his wand at Tracey, but she pushed his arm down and twisted the blade in his throat.

He fell to the ground with a loud gurgle.

Pansy's father lay unmoving, inches from Nott's feet.

"Damn!" Tracey cried in frustration, looking around frantically. Blood from her uncle had splashed across her face and shirt.

"I've got her." Pansy found herself whispering.

"Pan?" Tracey replied, crouching, wand and knife at the ready.

"Yes, we're both Disillusioned." She said in a more normal voice.

"Thank Merlin."

"You'd better check on your boyfriend, and clean yourself up. I'm going wake her up and we'll make our way back to The Three Broomsticks."

"Wake her and stay here. Do not move without me. I'll be back in two minutes at most."

"Alright." Pansy said, and added an invisible nod of her head.

"Astoria," she whispered. "I know you're terrified right now, but I need you to be quiet when I remove the body bind. We don't want other Death Eaters to find us."

Pansy maneuvered Astoria so she was lying on her back, head in her lap, and then cast two quick Finites, followed by another Disillusionment on the girl. Astoria was only visible for about four seconds. Long enough for Pansy to worry, and get a good glimpse of the girl's terrified reaction.

A second later and Astoria had scrambled into Pansy's lap and was hugging her tightly. Instead of crying, Daphne's sister had her open mouth over Pansy's collarbone, huffing lightly.

Pansy tried not to react, except to put her non-wand-hand firmly on the girl's back.

She heard footsteps coming their direction. When Astoria's mouth came off of her shoulder she shifted her hand up and held the back of her head firmly. "No, don't look." She whispered into the girl's ear.

Jasper was limping, his shirt was torn and bloody, but he was grinning and holding Tracey's hand.

Merlin he looked good enough to eat. She had to get out of this contract and then find herself a hunky boy too.

"You there?" Tracey whispered, she'd cleaned the blood from her face and shirt, or Jasper had.

"Yes, and she's awake." Pansy answered. "Give us a minute to get up." She flipped her wand against her arm and found Astoria's ears, gently cupping them she whispered to the girl. "We need to stand and get back to the school. Do not look behind you. It's rather gruesome."

She felt a nod in response and they got to their feet, hands firmly on one another.

"Alright, let's go." Pansy said. "Slowly, and not the way we came."

"Yeah." Jasper said and led the way back to the main street and a small park surrounding a double-trunked yew.

That was when a cold wind blew down from the mountains outside of the village.

Pansy looked that way, the whole area was covered in a dark fog. Fog she was sure there was an eerie motion within, as though something was stirring the fog from within.

"Morgana." Tracey said.

"Dementors." Jasper added, quickening his pace, his limp vanishing as he pulled Tracey along beside him. "RUN!" he added to the Disillusioned pair he couldn't see.

}-{

Dumbledore looked quite proud of himself as he waited in the hallway outside of the room of hidden things. "Look." He said when they exited.

Leaning against the wall beside the tapestry of trolls dancing was a large portrait of a woman, she sat sleeping in a tall-backed chair.

Professor Snape was sitting in a simple wooden chair, re-lacing one of his shoes and not paying the slightest attention to the rest of them.

"Who is that?" Susan asked, walking over to it.

"See the raven emblem on her pendant? It must be Rowena!" Dumbledore said brightly.

"Has she woken?" Susan asked.

"No," he answered, his smile fading a bit. "But perhaps we need all four portraits before she will? Or it has to be hung somewhere special? I don't know, but it will be so much fun to try!"

"Ah, there you are." Nicholas said as he and Perenelle exited the room with their Auror escort. They also seemed in high spirits, though no one carried anything.

"So what have we learned?" Hermione asked the re-assembled group.

"That the room is extensive." Valerie replied as she sat in a conjured chair.

"Yes." Harry said.

"Did anyone get a feeling of dread or fear as they wandered?" Hermione asked. After a moment's silence she continued. "Well, then I suggest we all think about this, we'll get together for a meeting in a day or two and see what we've come up with."

"I believe we will have to sort the room one stack at a time." Marlene said.

Hermione shrugged. "That may be the answer, but I don't want us to focus on that yet. Perhaps there is a spell to detect this thing, that will help us narrow down what part of the room to search? Regardless, thank you everyone for giving up part of your Saturday."

"Yes, thank you." Perenelle said as though she'd invited everyone. "Nick and I both enjoyed our time."

The Headmaster took out his wand and flicked it to either end of the corridor. There was a pair of popping noises as his wards vanished. A second later a small silver cat ran up to them. "Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade!" it said in Minerva's voice.

Everyone stood there in shock, looking at the place where the silver creature had vanished.

"Um." The Headmaster said. "Perhaps my wards to keep us undisturbed were a bit too extensive?"

At Harry's scowl the Headmaster held his hand aloft. With a pair of quick fireball's, the Headmaster vanished courtesy of his Phoenix familiar.

Professor Snape ran towards the grand staircase.

"My sister is in Hogsmeade." Daphne suddenly snarled and headed down the corridor after the fleeing form of the Potions Master.

"No." Hermione said and wrapped her in a quick hug. "Hold on a minute, I've got an idea." She pushed Daphne into Harry's arms with a quick. "Hold her."

While Daphne fumed, Hermione went and closed the door to the Room of Hidden Things, and then paced back and forth in front of it three times. When she opened the door it was to the sunlit main road of Hogsmeade.

A group of twelve Death Eaters popped into existence about thirty feet away, each with their wands drawn facing outwards.

Without even leaving Harry's arms, Daphne's wand spat a tremendous blasting hex into the black-robed figures. The resulting explosion knocked everyone off of their feet on both sides of the door.

The remains of the Death Eaters were still landing as Daphne rushed through the opening with a cry of, "STORI!"

Marlene McKinnon, The Spear of the Light, was right on her niece's heels, wand, and staff held ready.

Without a thought for themselves Harry and Hermione drew their wands and chased after their lovers.

"Well." Susan said to the Aurors and Flamels as she swung the Bulwark onto her left arm. "At least I won't die bored." She said and flung herself through the doorway.

Valerie and her Auror team quickly followed the ginger's path.

"Tea?" Nicholas said to his wife.

Perenelle Flamel smiled brightly and pushed the door to Hogsmeade closed. "Sounds lovely." She said, linking her arm with his as they walked slowly towards the grand staircase.

}-{

Padma had feared something like this would happen by associating with Neville. Susan had not danced around the topic, she'd explained that they were in the middle of a war, and needed to fight, so they would survive to continue their families.

Yet here she was, in the most haunted building in the magical world, and Neville was bleeding out his life's blood on the scarred wooden floor.

When she was younger she was squeamish, but an introduction to potions at nine, had changed that. Scourgify works well to remove toad-eyeball ichor, it would work just as well on human blood.

 _Enough._ Padma told herself, her breathing was mostly under control, and it didn't appear anyone was trying to break into their sanctuary. She scooted over to his side, found the cut in his shirt and tore it open to see what she had to deal with.

"STORI, WHERE ARE YOU?" a magically enhanced voice made the shack's walls rattle.

Padma cringed, but quickly went back to her work. The cut was nearly as long as her hand, and went vertically up his torso, along his ribs. She only knew one healing spell, and right now she was overjoyed that it was the one to heal minor cuts. Though this was a bit more than minor, she'd just have to push more magic into it than normal.

"Episkey!" she tried, pushing fairly hard.

The bleeding slowed, but the wound didn't so much as twitch.

She blew out a breath, tossed her long braid over her shoulder, ignoring the fact that both her hands were bloody.

McGonagall's voice, joined the one from a minute or so ago as she announced. "STUDENTS TAKE SHELTER! DO NOT MOVE ALONG THE ROADS, DEFEND YOURSELVES!"

"Episkey!" she tried again, pushing much harder this time. Her vision got blurry and she was suddenly gasping for breath.

When her vision cleared, after much brushing away of tears with the back of her hand, she saw the wound had begun to close and was no longer readily venting his life. In the spaces between his ribs, where the spell had cut deeper into him, blood slowly pooled to run down his pale skin.

"Oh, Bugger." Padma cursed under her breath. She could probably cast it that hard two more times, then she'd be unconscious with magical exhaustion. Instead she decided to use a bit less magic, hoping she could cast it enough times to seal the wound.

Six Episkeys later she had to take a break and lean against a scarred chest lying along the wall. The wound looked closed, it was an angry red, though not from blood after a gentle Scourgify.

"That will have to do for now." She told him. Neville was at least breathing, though he looked far too pale for her liking. She didn't have a blood replenisher potion to give him though.

When she felt strong enough to continue, she levitated him out of the pool of his blood. While he hovered she cast several more Scourgifys to remove the blood from his clothes, before moving him to lie on his back, with his head in her lap.

She repeated the process with his wand, which he'd dropped when he passed out. Only then did she remember she should clean herself and did so with a muttered Scourgify on her non-wand hand. She tried four times to cast it left handed on her wand hand, but couldn't get the flick right so gave up and just sat there, one hand on his slowly rising chest, the other held her wand ready in case someone came in the door.

Susan would never forgive her if she didn't give her best effort. She let out an airy breath, half-way between a laugh and a sob. She was already thinking like the three of them were locked together.

Running her clean fingers through his short sandy hair, she whispered. "Don't die on me. I've just started to get to know you. Don't want it to end like this."

"We're not going anywhere for a bit." Padma said to Neville, who hadn't reacted at all to the loud voices.

}-{

Harry went through the door right behind his Ladies, and found himself in the town square of Hogsmeade. Daphne had followed up her initial blasting hex with a series of brutal slashing hexes to those Death Eaters who seemed capable of moving. Her attention completely on destroying anyone between herself and her sister.

Marlene planted her staff and it pulsed brightly, sending a wave of pain through those with evil intent around them. She then focused on shielding her niece, as the group Daphne had been destroying was not the only one in the square.

Hermione stepped to Marlene's left and erected a transfigured barrier, completely around them, about three feet tall. She swayed a bit as she finished but a quick hand from Harry kept her from falling.

A loud gong noise, brought his attention to Susan, who'd just taken a curse intended for his back on the Bulwark.

"Damn!" He said aloud, there was another group behind them!

Then the Auror team and Valerie came through the door to Hogwarts and spread out into pairs. Three of them worked on defense, while the others sent wide-area stunners all around them.

"Use deadly force!" Valerie ordered her team, promptly sending a cutting curse through a Death Eater that was working on a long transfiguration spell. The man fell and the shimmering air around him from the half-completed spell vanished.

Susan sent a piercing hex at one, but missed by a large margin. She wasn't good at anything beyond thirty feet or so.

"STORI, WHERE ARE YOU?" Daphne's magically enhanced voice echoed around the village.

Harry quickly moved to his Slytherin lady and pulled her down behind the transfigured barrier as several spells converged where she'd been standing.

"You've got to focus!" he whispered into her ear as she twisted to get back up. "We can't get to her until we've beaten these bastards."

Daphne's wild eyes focused on him and she froze, not even breathing, for a few seconds as explosions happened over them.

"Yes." She finally said, spinning to a crouch beside him, her free hand going to the middle of his back. "Thank you, I was kind of gone there."

Then she was up, beside Marlene, and rapidly casting Blasting hexes into the transfigured barriers the Death Eaters were now hiding behind.

"STUDENTS TAKE SHELTER!" Professor McGonagall's enhanced voice rang over the village. "DO NOT MOVE ALONG THE ROADS, DEFEND YOURSELVES!"

"Finally someone—" Whatever Hermione was going to say got cut off as a fireball exploded in their midst.

Harry pulled Hermione down with him, a shield shimmering into existence over them, and then he realized it was the Headmaster with Fawkes.

"Um." Dumbledore said, looking at them all in confusion. "Didn't—"

Another loud gong sounded from The Bulwark as Susan took a Killing Curse on it, which was intended for Dumbledore.

That brought the Headmaster's attention to the present situation. His wand flicked and an incredible wave of magic erupted from him. Everyone outside of Hermione's barrier immediately froze in place.

"There." He said, "That should hold them…" he trailed off as his eyes rolled back in his skull and he collapsed.

Harry, who was still lying on the ground with Hermione, managed to mostly catch him.

Fawkes took wing, letting out a startled cry, before dropping to the Headmaster's chest and vanishing with him in another ball of fire.

"What?" Harry said, reflexively patting his chest, which had just been exposed to Phoenix Fire.

"Probably took him to the infirmary." Hermione said from half-under him. "Get off me love." She added with a shove.

As Harry scrambled to his feet the Auror team, Valerie, and Marlene were already out among the Death Eaters, making sure they were all unconscious.

"Strip and bag all their possessions." Valerie ordered her team.

The six Aurors began casting spells on the Death Eaters to switch their clothes into a conjured bag, and then placed a conjured white robe over them, before binding their hands together behind their backs.

There were at least thirty men in black robes and masks, this would take a great deal of time to complete, and they didn't know how long the Headmaster's spell would work.

"Where's Stori?" Daphne asked, moving to run down the street, but Susan stepped in front of her.

"Not without us." She said firmly. "Neville's out there somewhere too." She added, almost to herself.

"We're with you." Hermione said, stepping to Daphne's side and placing a light hand on her hip.

A sudden wind blew through the town, bringing a chill to the air.

"Damn it!" Harry cursed.

"Dementors!" Hermione added.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Molly Weasley was surprisingly not terrified at being held prisoner by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. When Azkaban had fallen, she, along with her twin sons, had been removed from the prison before it was torched with Fiend Fire.

Since then, they'd been treated far better than they had been in the prison. They were locked together in a large suite of rooms in the Parkinson manor. A German Medi-Wizard had checked their health, removing the curse that bitch had placed upon the twins. He'd given them all a few potions to take, those had helped with the exposure to the Dementors.

After a long, whispered, discussion, the former Weasley's concluded that they would wait and see what was going to happen to them.

They were not the only non-Death Eaters freed. That toad-woman was somewhere in the manor as well, though she hadn't been seen since they arrived.

A knock came at the door and one of the twins went to open it, but it clicked open before he got there.

"Our Lord requests the three of you join him for an early lunch." The man said with a Germanic accent. He pulled several packages from his pocket and placed them on the table by the door before flicking his wand at them. The packages enlarged into three sets of dress robes.

The man stepped back, into the doorway. "You have thirty minutes to prepare." With that he pulled the door closed and it was again sealed with a spell.

The Umbridge woman was sitting at the table when they arrived. Madam Parkinson, or at least Molly assumed it was she, sat at one end of the table. She was a bit younger than Molly. Her plate was unused before her and she had a look of disdain towards Umbridge.

"Have a seat," Umbridge said. "The stuffed pheasant is excellent." She said while gesturing with a loaded fork to the three empty chairs along the other side of the table.

Madam Parkinson cleared her throat. "Please sit." She said, gesturing to the same set of chairs. "Some rude individuals believe they do not need to await the arrival of our Lord."

Umbridge hardly reacted to the woman's scorn. She merely shrugged and went back to eating.

Molly sat in the middle seat, Fred went to her left while George took the final seat on their side to her right. This placed Molly across from Umbridge, with Fred closer to Madam Parkinson and George by the empty chair at the head of the table.

Once the three of them were seated Madam Parkinson tapped a bell, which sat on the table beside her plate. A soft tone rang gently around the room and an elf appeared at her side.

"Mistress?"

"Inform our Lord we await his arrival."

Without an answer the elf bowed and popped away.

Molly gave each of her son's a pat on their thighs, all of them were very nervous at the prospect of meeting the Dark Lord.

It didn't take long, a door opened down a hallway and the man himself came into the chamber. A chill went up her spine at the inhuman visage. She'd heard he was charismatic and handsome in his youth. None of that seemed present, and if she was right it pained him to walk.

"My Lord." Madam Parkinson said as he approached the table.

"I thank you Lady Parkinson for welcoming me to your home and table." He said before sitting at the head of the table.

"The pleasure is ours My Lord." She replied as he settled himself opposite her.

"Let us eat and then we shall discuss the business I desire." The Dark Lord said.

With a suppressed shudder, Molly and the boys loaded their plates.

}-{

The younger girl was barely keeping up, she wouldn't make it to the town square, much-less onto the safety of Hogwarts grounds. Jasper and Tracey had long ago out-distanced them in their own attempt to reach safety.

Pansy didn't blame them for leaving her and Astoria behind, hopefully they found some Aurors and sent them back to help. Regardless she would keep trying.

Astoria stumbled and pulled her down as well. She groaned and hurried to stand heedless of the pain. Seeing they were near a shop, she hauled the younger girl to her feet. "In here," Pansy said, and dragged the stumbling Astoria into the shop.

She silently summoned a shield to cover them and pulled the girl behind a display of curios when she realized that four wands were pointing at them.

"Well, it looks like you were right, Em." A distinguished voice said softly.

"Oh, quit scaring them Edgar." A woman replied, then spoke a bit louder. "There's no Death Eaters in here. You can dispel your disillusionments."

"Al…" Pansy tried to talk, but hadn't caught her breath to talk calmly yet so had to pause. "Right, Demen…" Another deep breath, "Tors coming!"

"Dementors?" the man asked, his voice a full octave higher than before.

Pansy finally felt confident enough in their safety to dismiss her shield, disillusion and stand. She still kept a tight hold of Astoria, guiding the younger girl mostly behind herself.

The first people she saw were likely the owners of the shop, a slightly disheveled older man, and a considerably younger lady were walking to the door, wands in hand. Behind them, a pair of students peeked around another display.

"Ernie!" Pansy called out when she recognized one of the two.

His eyes went wider, but he gave her a short nod and stood up. Beside him was his fellow Puff, Wayne.

"Where you been?" Wayne asked, looking quickly to the adults by the door.

"Lost." Pansy said. "Is there another room we can hide in?"

"I'm sure there's a back room, but that's likely also got a door." Ernie said.

"I'll go lock it." Wayne said and headed behind the counter.

The room was getting cold, Astoria shifted her arms to hug Pansy around her waist. Pansy moved her free hand to the girls shoulders.

"Does anyone know the Patronus?" the elderly man asked.

"No." they chorused. Pansy had been working on it, but Consort Potter had told her she lacked a sufficiently happy thought. Well, that wasn't changing anytime soon.

"Everyone up the back stairs then." He said, shooing them towards the rear of the shop while the woman pulled the main doors closed and then sealed them with a spell.

"I locked the back door." Wayne said as they moved into the back.

"Good." The man said and hit the door with a locking spell. "Upstairs, we'll put a few more doors between us and em."

The woman was flicking her wand at the ground floor windows, hitting them with an impervious and then a locking charm before running to join them. She repeated the spells on the back door and then they were all upstairs, the window at the end of the hall was closed, locked, and impervioused by the older man.

The woman ushered them into a small room which turned out to be the loo, and fortunately had no windows.

"I'll seal the other windows and doors up here." The older man said and went into an office next door.

It was really getting cold now, and awfully dark.

"no," Astoria whispered into Pansy's shoulder.

They were all in the loo, door closed and sealed, blue-bell flames were summoned to add some light and warmth. The dread was punctuated by the shattering of boards somewhere below.

Pansy and Astoria were pushed into the back corner, behind the loo, while Wayne and Ernie huddled near them.

No one seemed to be able to talk. The blue-bell flames kept flickering, which wasn't normal, and the cold continued to get worse.

}-{

With lunch complete, Madam Parkinson stood first. "Miss Umbridge, you will retire to your chambers for now. I hope you are nearly done with those questions our Lord as asked you."

"Of course madam." The pink-clad woman said as she stood. "I am merely adding details and searching my memory for anything else that might be helpful."

"The three of you will retire to the parlor, our Lord has a proposition for you." Madam Parkinson said and gestured to a double-door down the main hallway.

The Dark Lord stood and proceeded them down the hallway.

Molly confirmed her suspicion, he was favoring one of his legs, though he was apparently able to masked the pain.

Once the five of them were seated in the parlor, and the Dark Lord sipping from a gold goblet, he said. "This body that I wear, is a magical construction. As such some of my magic must go towards maintaining it. I wish to rectify this issue."

He looked at her over the rim of his goblet, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Prior to the events of All Hallows' Eve in eighty-one, I was blessed to be descended from Salazar Slytherin himself. But alas, this form has no connection to that noble line."

 _Oh, Merlin!_ She thought, forcing her hands to loosen on the arms of her chair.

"As you've guessed, this involves one of the things you are famous for, delivering male children. There is a ritual that will impregnate you, I will abandon this form to inhabit it before a soul can connect with it. Madam Parkinson will follow several rituals once you have birthed me, these will accelerate my development. Once I reach magical majority, the process will be complete."

Both of her sons were green, though neither said a word, this discussion was clearly making them uncomfortable and angry.

"As payment for such service, my followers will aid you in restoring the Prewett estate. Including locating a suitable father for the next Lord Prewett, which you will of course have to also birth."

"Oh," she said. That was the one thing she had always desired over everything else. She was fairly certain that the offer was legitimate, her marriage to Arthur had been annulled. She was once again Molly Prewett. Her twin sons had been disowned by Charlie as acting-head of House Weasley, that made them also Prewetts.

"The initial ritual will require a sacrifice." The Dark Lord said. "I must have something which was biologically connected to my original body. Fortunately this is obtainable from any of the Dark Marks which I placed upon my followers. We shall have to locate an expendable member of that group, as removing the mark to obtain the material will end their existence."

"What." She said and then had to clear her throat before continuing. "What of my sons?"

He answered without even looking at the twins. "I have heard much of their inventiveness, and will expect them to turn their efforts towards aiding my cause. They shall remain with you, though will receive directions for their research from myself or Madam Parkinson."

"That is acceptable." Molly said after a brief glance to her sons. "Very well. I will do this thing."

The Dark Lord gave out a soft chuckle before turning his red eyes on Madam Parkinson who stood and curtsied.

"Immediately My Lord." She said.

}-{

Padma had almost fallen asleep when Neville groaned and his hand came up to rub his face. "Neville!"

"Ugh," was an inarticulate noise from the boy.

Then she realized it was far too cold. "No, no, no." she muttered and struggled to stand with Neville lying half on her legs. She ended up having to push him off of her before getting up.

Neville groaned again when his head thumped against the floorboards.

"Damn," she cursed and immediately fell, her legs had gone to sleep, and landed on another section of the floor, which bounced and rattled.

The light from outside was suddenly cut off, she summoned a light to her wand. The section of floor that had rattled had a simple leather strap, and when she pulled on it a hatch opened in the floor. Holding her wand down into it revealed an earthen tunnel, plenty big enough for her to crawl through.

"What happened?" Neville whispered.

She twisted to look at him, in the light from her wand she could only see his furrowed brow. "Can you move? We've got to get out of here."

He blinked a few times and put his hands under him. The door rattled and an eerie moan came from outside. They both shivered.

"Why is it cold?" he muttered.

"Come on!" She said, jumping into the hole and grabbing his arm with her free hand.

Neville managed to move towards her so when she heaved on him he tumbled into the hole with her.

From under him she focused on the hatch and summoned it, then pulled his head down just before it smacked into him. Dust rained upon them, causing her to blink repeatedly to get the grime out of her eyes.

"Crawl," she urged, pushing him towards the dark end of the tunnel. A wave of despair washed over her, making her loose precious seconds.

"K," Neville said, putting a knee into her thigh, but managed to move in the right direction.

The pain allowed her to shake off her despair and cast, "Coloportus!" on the hatch as the door to the shack splintered and fell into the building.

"SHIVA!" Padma exclaimed, through the loose boards she could see the ragged forms and skeletal limbs of Dementors.

Neville was only a few feet down the earthen tunnel, but she put her shoulder against his ass and pushed him along, scrambling for any way to stop the creatures behind them.

The only light they had was from her wand, which didn't show them much in front of them while she was crawling.

"This is good earth." Neville said. Obviously he wasn't all here yet or he'd be a bit more concerned about the scrabbling against the wood behind them.

"Move!" she urged again, pushing him onward.

"Going." And he did actually move forward at a better pace, though fell against the wall of the tunnel with a groan. "Woah, I'm dizzy."

"You lost a lot of blood." She explained to him, though he likely wouldn't really hear her. "Move!" she urged again, putting her wand arm around his waist and pulling him back onto his knees.

Together they continued to crawl down the tunnel. A loud crack behind them caused her to squeak and squeeze him hard.

"What was that?"

"Later. MOVE!"

"Movin, movin down the tunnel." The boy said in a sing-song voice as though trying to make a song out of it.

"Nev, I swear if you're playing with me, I'll never forgive you. Assuming we live through this." Something grabbed her shoe and she screamed, twisting about.

"Yikes."

Her light revealed that it had been a root that had snagged her foot, but there was movement at the edge of her light.

"Go, go." She said, scrabbling down the tunnel, pulling the bemused boy along as best she could.

The tunnel sloped up and she heard a whooshing noise above them.

"Ohh, Awesome!"

"Damn." Padma said when she realized they were under the Whomping Willow. Now they were dead.

"Push a knot, the tree will still, but don't tarry lest it kill you." Neville said, again in that sing-song voice as he reached over and pushed his hand against one of the protruding knots on the trunk of the massive tree.

The instant the tree froze Neville stood on shaky legs.

Padma put her arms around his waist again and staggered forward with him as best she could. They were almost fast enough, one of the branches smashed into her side as she shoved Neville out of the way.

The last thing she saw was a Dementor rising from the tunnel at the base of the tree.

}-{

"MOVE YOUR LAZY ASSES!" Nymphadora bellowed.

"Are you fit for duty?" Moody asked in a low growl from near her while the Aurors around them scrambled to reach the portkey chamber.

"Not quite." The metamorph answered her mentor, not looking in his direction. Her hands were still shaky from the exposure to the Cruciatus curse, nor had the nightmares from the beating she'd received stopped.

The Mediwitches hadn't cleared her yet, in fact the only reason she was in the DMLE was to turn in her most recent eval to her boss. That was still in her pocket when a Patronus had rushed into the ready room to tell them of an attack on Hogsmeade village.

She hadn't even confessed the extent of her fight at Bones Manor to anyone. But she had realized that the Death Eaters had tried to kidnap her, as well as Madam Bones other female Auror. At least no one had mentioned that she'd been found topless. If not for Potter she'd likely be dead or wishing she was.

A steadying hand pressed on her shoulder. Moody didn't say anything to her, not even to tell her to sit this one out. She gave him a thankful nod as he called out to the fifteen assembled Aurors. "Everyone grab hold of the portkey. Activating in ten seconds. These bastards chose to attack school children. Give em what for!"

The hook-in-the-naval feeling grabbed them all and whisked them off to the edge of Hogsmeade.

The first thing Tonks was aware of, was that it wasn't daytime anymore. The second was that they had arrived in the midst of Dementors.

"Patronus charms now!" Moody barked from off to her left.

But Nymphadora had already fallen into her worst memory.

"Get that one, she's a morph. They're worth thousands more to the slavers." The taller man had said. They had been completely overwhelmed by the assault on Bones Manor. The wards had fallen in under a minute, and there were just too many Death Eaters for the eight Auror guards to handle. Two of them had gone with Madam Bones, down through a secret passage, and out onto the grounds while the rest tried to hold the study, giving the Director time to get away.

Restricted to stunning spells and other non-lethal magic severely hurt their chances as well. With nearly twenty of the Dark Lord's followers pouring into the study, the rest of the Aurors were quickly down, most killed instantly by the sickly green light of the killing curse.

She'd been hit by the Cruciatus, rendering her unable to defend herself.

While one of the black-robed men held her under the curse, another knelt beside her and tore her robes open, exposing her chest. He immediately groped her savagely. Still under the pain curse, with her nerves each amplifying everything by a hundred times, she had fortunately passed out from the pain.

Here and now there was no such relief from the Dementors.

Only a few Aurors managed to cast their spells. All were weak and sputtered out moments later.

Nymphadora couldn't even remember her happy memory. She was filled with dread. A bony hand closed on her throat, turning her to face the skeletal form of the floating nightmare. She could only manage a weak whimper, her wand useless at her side.

She knew she had to think of something or she would be as good as dead in minutes. But her arms refused to move, then she remembered one of the key aspects of a Dementor's kiss.

}-{

 _They were going to die._ Pansy couldn't keep that sentence out of her head. The Dementors had ripped through the door with surprising ease. The shop owners, the boys, and herself, had cast every damage spell they could think of. Cutters seemed to make small scratches or tears in their robes, bludgeoners merely pushed them back an inch or so. Even bone-breakers, which only Pansy seemed to know, merely seemed to infuriate the beasts.

First it was the old man, who simply seemed to stop fighting, then a Dementor latched onto his face. Most of the old man's head was obscured by the hood, but his eyes had been open. He collapsed to the floor with a thud when the being pulled back.

Another Dementor took the woman, she also seemed to lose all will to fight. When her body hit the ground Pansy turned Astoria to face her. "Don't look. Keep your eyes closed." Then she did the only thing she could think of. She kissed the younger girl.

When the girl's mouth opened to protest, she silently cast a permanent sticking charm on their lips.

It took Astoria a moment to realize what was happening and then she crushed the older girl to her tightly.

Together they lay down behind the loo, with Pansy atop the smaller girl as a pair of thuds happened behind them. They were alone in the loo with the former guards of Azkaban prison.

}-{

Valerie, and all of the Aurors near the town square, worked on detaining the incapacitated Death Eaters. Professor McGonagall came out of The Three Broomsticks with Madam Rosmerta and ushered any student through the open gates of Hogwarts.

Harry, Hermione, Daphne, Marlene and Susan headed down the main street of Hogsmeade, calling out occasionally for Astoria. They encountered several clumps of students, and sent them all towards the Deputy Headmistress at the school gates.

Honeydukes was where Daphne almost lost it. They found Astoria's friends, as well as Luna and Ginny. The girls babbled a bit before Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and got her to explain it.

"Astoria had an argument with Michael Selwyn and ran off before the attack." Ginny said.

"But somehow, we were all stunned until Pansy Parkinson woke us up." Luna said.

"We've been hiding in Honeydukes, with about thirty other students, ever since." Ginny finished.

"Get back onto the school grounds." Harry said firmly to her and waited for her nod before breaking eye contact. "All of you, get out of here, there are Dementors around."

"But the Dementors are controlled by the Ministry." An older man said.

"Well if you believe that then I hope you have a strong Patronus." Harry said and turned to Luna, who was still clutching Ginny's hand.

"We will do so immediately Lord Potter." Luna said in a rather serious tone, before giving him and his ladies a curtsy and pulling Ginny up the main road. The students trailed after them, a few sprinting ahead.

Marlene had gone to speak with the shop owner, he immediately verified his store was empty before triggering the security system, which locked the wards and sent a signal to the D.M.L.E. He hurried after the students towards the school.

Tracey Davis and her boyfriend pelted around the bend in the road shortly after that and told them a hasty, breathless, tale.

"Parkinson came looking for Daphne before the attack. She found us in The Three Broomsticks. We helped some Aurors. Parkinson said she saw Nott with Ronald Weasley and Lockhart in the alley beside Honeydukes. When we got there, Nott and Astoria were gone but her friends were stunned on the ground."

"So we stunned Weasley and Lockhart and tried to find Nott down the alley." Jasper said, pointing down the direction they had gone.

"But Parkinson found Astoria while we killed Nott and some Death Eaters that were helping him." Tracey said.

"They were running behind us." Jasper said.

The pair was ragged and exhausted, both physically and magically.

"Get onto the school grounds as quickly as possible." Marlene said.

"Sorry." Tracey said to Daphne who merely nodded once, her vision shifted up the main street, where her sister was last seen.

Jasper pulled his girlfriend along and they staggered into a jog towards Hogwarts.

"I'll give Parkinson credit." Harry said as they moved on in search of the lost girls. "Before we started working with her for D.A., my opinion was rather low, now she seems to be quite resourceful."

"It's my sister." Daphne said through a tightly clenched jaw, her eyes darting from one possible hiding spot to the next.

They knew she was absolutely terrified of something happening to her little sister. And her method of dealing with it was to lock it all down and let the Ice Queen come forth, cold and ruthless, until the crisis had passed.

"I agree Harry." Hermione added, brushing an unnoticed touch down Daphne's left arm. "She'll do everything she can."

"Long as they stay away from the Dementors they'll be fine." Susan said, trying to cheer them all up. She received a thankful smile from Harry, but not a thing from Daphne or Marlene, who now marched ahead side-by-side.

It continued to get colder, then they found two groups of Dementors, one was in the middle of the road, intermingled with about a dozen red-robed Aurors. The other was inside a shop, where they had torn holes through the walls.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry cast, his mind filled with the idea of the family they were forging. Prongs erupted from his wand and charged head-long into the mass of Dementors around the Aurors.

Daphne and Hermione's Patronii followed his a moment later. Neither was as solid as Prongs, but both were still far superior to anything else yet summoned in the village.

"I really need to practice that." Susan said, pulling the Bulwark up to cover her mouth instead.

Marlene's Patronus, a small winged dragon, was summoned a moment later, but flew into the shop on their left. She stepped in that direction, not paying the rest of them any attention.

He had to focus on Prongs, or the magic would fade, and they were far from safe from the escaped prison guards. Returning his attention to the fight in front of him, Daphne's hawk was hovering over a red-robed figure on the ground, several Dementors were retreating from it.

To the right of that Hermione's Otter scampered about, leaping onto the chest of a down Auror and then vaulting from there at the nearest skeletal figure, which retreated rapidly.

Prongs had scattered the majority of them, and soon they were in full retreat. Not only from this group, but it seemed from the entire village as the oppressive and cold feeling began to dissipate.

"Sun's coming out again." Hermione said, her free hand inter-linked with his without either of them seeming to be aware.

"Come on." Daphne urged as she rushed to follow her aunt through the shattered front door of the shop to their left.

The red-robed figures lay unmoving on the street. Hermione and Susan moved to check on them. Harry stood, undecided for a moment, his hand still stretched out to Hermione.

"Go with them Harry." Hermione said, giving his hand a squeeze. "My Otter will let you know if we need you."

"Alright." He said, gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and ran into the shop, Prongs just in front of him.

More Dementors hurried to leave through the shattered back wall of the shop.

Hermione kept her Patronus facing the visible Dementors, until she was certain they were heading away from them.

"That's Moody." Susan said and moved to roll the Master Auror onto his back.

His face was covered by a steel visor that seemed to have come from his eyepatch, as it was missing. His one real eye was clenched closed, but he seemed to be breathing at least.

"Moody?" Susan called, shaking him harder. He didn't respond.

"Tonks!" Hermione exclaimed, shoving another Auror off of the metamorph to get to her. She gasped when she saw her face, her mouth was simply gone! Like Moody, she was unresponsive, though she seemed to be twitching slightly.

"Can you send a messenger Patronus to St. Mungo's?" Susan asked Hermione.

"Yes." The brilliant girl said with a nod. "Expecto Patronum!" She cast again, summoning a second, less-material Patronus. "Dementor attack in Hogsmeade village, Aurors down!"

The otter shot off through the building to the right.

There wasn't much to the first floor of the shop, a small storage room in the back, and stairs going upwards.

Marlene was at the base of the stairs when Harry caught up with them. The staircase itself was full of Dementors, trapped by the two Patronii.

"Let the light of truth destroy the darkness." Marlene said, holding the staff aloft. It brightened considerably, making the Dementors shake and emit a high-pitched keening noise.

"Use the sword on them." Daphne said, drawing her Mogness blade from her boot. "Kill them!"

"Why are we in here?" Harry asked, drawing the Sword of Hope from its sheath on his back.

"My sister is up there." Daphne said, jamming her blade into the hood of the first Dementor. She let out a yelp of pain and leapt backwards.

A black ichor leaking from the depths of the Dementor's hood and down the chest of the ragged clothes. Then the creature collapsed on the ground. It began to deteriorate rapidly in the light from The Spear.

A shimmering golden ball hovered where the creature had been. It brightened under the magic coming from The Spear and then drifted to the right and through the wall.

The three of them froze, but none made any comments, instead Daphne pushed Harry forward with his longer weapon.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked her.

Daphne had dropped her blade as she retreated, now she was kneeling and cradling her left arm.

"Oh." He said in sudden realization. Daphne always used her blade in her left hand and wand in the right. Her left arm was not entirely whole, having been partially healed by Susan in the Room of Requirement. It couldn't take the stress of physical combat.

"I think it's alright." She said, flexing the fingers of the injured hand and getting to her feet with a hand from Harry. "I'll manage, kill them." She said with a nod towards the Dementors.

He jabbed at the head of the creature but missed, catching the hood and tearing most of it away. He pulled back from the black skull that was revealed. The jaw was slightly elongated, ending in a red star-shaped protrusion. There were no eyes, and the neck looked to be just thick enough for a spine.

With an exclamation, he could never repeat, Harry slashed Hope down onto the skull, splitting it and dropping the creature immediately.

"Move faster." Marlene said, apparently concerned over her niece while she held the Light at its current level.

Daphne cast a cleaning spell on her dagger and put it back in her boot before using her wand to levitate the piles of cloth and bone from the steps so Harry could advance.

He moved faster, this time his initial jab was true, discovering that the black substance burned his skin where it touched.

Ignoring it he moved up the stairs, these Dementors were facing away, trying to push forward. The Sword of Hope through the back of their skulls worked just as well.

Two golden globes appeared where that one had fallen and almost immediately flew upwards quickly.

It was grim work, and took them several minutes, but they moved as swiftly as they could. With Harry in the lead, Daphne just behind him and Marlene following them a few steps back.

The trail led to a loo on the second floor, with two kissed store owners, two kissed male students that Harry didn't recognize, but looked about their age.

Four of the recently released orbs drifted into the people laying on the floor and they twisted in pain. The woman let out a whimper, but none of them seemed to actually wake up.

"ASTORIA!" Daphne yelled, pushing past Harry and over a pair of boys, to wrench the girls from behind the loo.

They were pulled into view as one. Each holding the others head tightly, faces mashed together, eyes wide.

Both girls were crying and trembling, but clearly not mindless husks.

"FINITE!" Daphne cast at their conjoined mouths.

Nothing happened when the girls tried to pull apart. Groaning in frustration and turning red in embarrassment.

"Harry." Daphne said, taking Hope from his right hand. She was on the ragged edge of holding her emotions in check. "Cancel that permanent sticking charm."

"Right." He said, drawing his wand. "FINITE." He cast, pushing hard against the permanent spell that bound Astoria and Pansy's mouths together.

With a pop, and a connecting trail of slobber, the girls parted.

Astoria was pulled into Daphne's arms, where the sisters began sobbing and trying to speak to one another. Marlene, who had snatched Hope as Daphne released it, guided them out of the loo and down the stairs.

Harry looked at Pansy's wild eyes, and deep red blush, and hugged her tightly to his chest with a muttered, "Thank you."

She clutched him with a desperation he recognized from his own days of being beaten and thrown in his cupboard. Her anguish finally found release as she cried into his chest.

He had to carry her from the small room and down the stairs.

Once in the store she seemed to finally get some control of herself. But the first thing she said seemed to have nothing to do with the attack on the village. "I need you to buy out my contract immediately."

Harry, barely controlled their subsequent trip to the floor. He ended up with her sitting in his lap, both still holding tightly to one another.

"Draco!" She said sharply and then shook her head. "He told me his father's trying to sell my contract to make money. I'll gladly be your toy, or Lord Black's, instead of belonging to whatever sick bastard Malfoy finds."

"Um." Was all Harry managed to say when several healers from St. Mungo's ran into the shop.

"Are you both alright?" a young healer asked, waving his wand over them both. "Here." He added and handed each of them a small bar of chocolate.

"Pretty much." Harry said. "There are four upstairs in the loo though. They need help."

"Alright." The older woman said, pulling the young man along. "We'll see to them. If you need anything we've got a field hospital set up in the street."

"Harry!" Hermione called, coming into the shop and seeing them sitting on the ground. "What happened?"

"Um." Harry repeated as she dropped to sit beside them on the floor.

"We're ok." Pansy said, though she was shaking.

"The Dementors almost got the two of them, but they cast a permanent sticking charm on their mouths while they kissed." Harry said quickly, causing Pansy to blush to her roots again.

"That's a good idea. Looks like Moody and Tonks each thought something similar. She morphed her mouth away and Moody turned his magical eye into a metal facemask, though both are catatonic."

"I couldn't think of anything else." Pansy said softly. "Not even bone-breakers did anything to them."

Hermione nodded.

Harry cleared his throat. "Apparently she was looking for us because Malfoy is selling her contract to the highest bidder to make money."

"Gods." Hermione hissed.

Pansy shook her head. "I'd rather kill myself then go to some of Malfoy's friends."

"We'll think of something." Harry said, trying to get to his feet. "Let's head back to the castle. Is that where the others went?"

"Astoria's getting checked in the field hospital just outside. Most of those Aurors were kissed, though one of them had a gold orb fly into them and she seemed to recover." Hermione said as she stood and helped Pansy towards the door.

"Daphne and I killed a bunch of Dementors, some of them had those orbs in them. I guess they were the recently stolen souls."

"Really?" both Hermione and Pansy said, looking sharply at him.

"Shouldn't talk about that too much." Pansy said, looking around for anyone who might have heard him.

"Best eat that chocolate." Hermione said, gesturing to the bars they each held and ushering them onto the street.

The field hospital was large wizard tent, open on one side. Curtains segmented the interior and extended down a long hallway inside.

Aurors and healers were running around, some levitating victims inside.

"Best wait in the shade." Hermione said, and pulled Pansy to a tall tree that seemed to have escaped damage.

Harry transfigured a small couch from the debris of the shop they'd just left and levitated it into the shade. He made sure to situate it so they had a clear view of the front of the field hospital.

"With the conditions of your contract." Hermione said softly once they were all sitting. "You can't go to Lord Black."

"Oh," Pansy said.

"He can't get you pregnant, that's why I'm the Heir and all." Harry said to clarify what Hermione had meant.

"And he doesn't have a spouse either. You have to be a mistress so you can continue your own family name." Hermione said.

"Then who?" she wailed, nearly breaking down again.

"How do you feel about Neville Longbottom?" Susan said as she approached. She'd slung The Bulwark on her back again and was carrying Hope.

Harry stood and took the cleaned blade from her, carefully fitting it into the sheath on his back.

"Longbottom?" Pansy said.

"Yes." Susan said, joining them on the couch, beside Hermione.

Pansy's brow furrowed in thought. "But he doesn't have a wife either."

"He was in the village today with Padma. She wanted to get to know him before making a decision. I need Line Continuation as well."

"Oh." Pansy said and leaned back, nibbling on her bar of chocolate as she thought.

}-{

"Mum, are you sure about this?" Fred asked when they were returned to their suite.

She shrugged and sat on the end of the bed. "I've wanted to bring my family back since father destroyed it. If he'd just let himself be killed or captured, we would have survived. But he overcharged the primary ward stone of the manor."

"Wow." George said. "That would have been a huge explosion."

Molly nodded. "The whole area is magically dead too. If you ever want to know what it feels like to be a muggle go stand there for a bit."

"So what are we going to do?" Fred asked.

"Looks like I'm having two more children." Molly said with a shrug.

"Other than trying to escape," George said. "I don't see many alternatives. You saw the paper, they all think we died when Azkaban burned."

"I'd like to get some vengeance on the bitch that cursed us." Fred said.

"Yes," George said. "What's the harm in a prank to vanish a girl's clothes?"

Fred rubbed his hands together quickly with a wicked grin on his face. "Yeah, she'll be squealing just like Angelina and Alicia did."

}-{

"Auntie!" Susan called.

In the middle of a large group of Aurors, Madam Bones spun, raising her un-injured hand.

The Aurors parted for Susan to pass through them and reach her aunt.

Daphne let out a soft laugh, the first since they'd exited the Room of Requirement to learn of the attack on Hogsmeade.

Astoria was between her sister and Pansy, clutching tightly to Daphne's right hand, having been warned that her left needed a dose of Skeli-Grow to finish healing.

Harry walked immediately to Daphne's left, with Hermione to his left and Marlene just ahead of them where she'd been walking with Susan.

"Lady McKinnon." Madam Bones said with a nod after releasing her niece from a one-armed hug. "I'm glad to see all of you up and walking. What can you tell me about all of this?"

Content to allow Marlene to explain everything, Harry pulled both of his younger ladies into a hug as they waited.

"Initially Death Eaters appeared in small groups, apparently scattered around the village, but many arrived in front of The Three Broomsticks. My understanding is that many of the Auror patrols were overwhelmed. We exited the school grounds and, with Valerie and her team, engaged them in combat. Headmaster Dumbledore arrived via Phoenix and cast an unknown stunning spell, which knocked out all Death Eaters within about a five hundred meter radius."

"Merlin." One of the Aurors said from off to the side.

"I'm unsure of the numbers, but he may have stunned sixty of them." Marlene said. "Valerie and her team began restraining them. Deputy Headmistress McGonagall took charge of getting the students back to the castle, we came down the main road to assist and drive off the Dementors which arrived just after the Death Eaters were stunned."

"Where's Dumbledore?" Madam Bones asked.

"He returned to the castle." Marlene said, fortunately her boss did not ask any further questions about the aged Headmaster. "We were able to drive off the Dementors in the main village, their taint faded shortly after that."

"I'm told that most of the Death Eaters are unmarked."

"Really?" Marlene asked. "They did appear Germanic, from their spell choice and accents."

"Well, let's see what the Butcher's Bill is." Madam Bones said.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

"There you are Mr. Weasley." Someone said as Bill surged back to consciousness.

"What in…" He began but trailed off as he realized he was in St. Mungos and flopped back down on the pillow.

"Give yourself a minute, you've been through some serious trauma." Said the voice, he could now identify as female.

Then a baby let out a soft cry and the woman made a soft cooing noise.

"What?" Bill said, looking over at the woman. He didn't recognize her, and neither she nor the child was a ginger.

"Sorry, I'm one of two mind healers authorized by Gringotts. I had started working on you when Juliette here decided to arrive. She's a few weeks old now, but I've been spending what time I could working on you. How do you feel, mentally that is?" she said.

"Um, bit confused. I take it that my mind was damaged. What happened? Was I possessed? That happened once in Egypt."

"No," The woman said. "You were hit in the back of the head with a spell, while walking in Diagon Alley, it caused the trauma."

"Oh." Bill said, and felt the back of his head. "What!" He cried. "I'm bald?"

Juliette cried out at the sudden noise and the woman immediately focused on calming her.

"Sorry, sorry." Bill said and wiped his eyes roughly. He'd grown that hair for many years and was surprised that its loss caused him such anguish.

Once Juliette was calm, the woman said. "You do know you can re-grow it in a moment with a potion?"

Bill nodded, "Sorry, that was a shock."

"If you think that was a shock." She said and drew her wand. "I'm going to mute you so Juliette won't be scared." She did so and tucked her wand up her sleeve before continuing. "What sent me into labor was finding an obscured memory in your mind. Once I repaired it, I discovered that you are the father of Ginevra, whom you thought was your little sister."

It was a good thing he couldn't speak in that moment or Juliette would have learned some Goblin and Egyptian curse words. The healer mentioning this triggered the very memory and a moment later he was leaning over the opposite side of the bed emptying his mostly empty stomach on the floor.

Several minutes later, a vanishing charm and three air freshening spells had been cast by the woman and Bill seemed calm enough for the muting to be removed.

"How could she?" he asked, then noticed she was breastfeeding Juliette and looked at the ceiling.

The woman let out a soft laugh. "I'm not privy to her thoughts, though, and you'd best remain calm at this point…" She trailed off until he nodded, still looking pointedly away from her. "She and your twin brothers were sentenced to Azkaban during their trial. Your youngest brother came here for mental evaluation but escaped."

She again waited for that to see how he reacted. Instead of violent cursing he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. When he had assimilated that, she continued. "About ten days ago, the resurrected Dark Lord stormed the prison and freed all of his followers. He then burned the prison to a stone skeleton with Fiend Fyre. I'm afraid your relatives perished there."

"Oh." He said and couldn't stop the tears from escaping his eyes to trail down his bald head and into the pillowcase.

"Sorry, but you need to know these things. Once I've certified your mind, you'll become the head of your family."

"What happened to dad?" he asked, turning his red eyes to look at her. He then yelped and covered his closed eyes with his hand. "Sorry."

"William, you may look. There's nothing un-natural about this."

He still didn't even know her name, but she was topless in his room, feeding her two week old child and discussing his family. He took several calming breaths and, without looking at her, spoke again. "I'll not fall to that temptation Miss. Can you inform me as to my father's fate?"

The woman huffed in indignation but answered him none-the-less. "He was under love and loyalty potions, which your mum had him on since they were in school. He's still alive, but I'm afraid his body is very fragile. It would have been best, from a Healers point of view, that he be slowly weaned from the potions. That is a gradual reduction in the dosage, allowing his body to adjust. Unfortunately since he was the head of your house, the laws are explicit, all such potions must cease immediately upon their discovery."

"Merlin." Bill whispered, still not looking in her direction.

"Your brother Charlie, whom I've spoken to on many occasions, has been acting as the head of your family. I'm certain he will get you up to speed on the details of the remainder of your family as he should be here soon. Your father's been moved up to the Janus Thickey Ward and declared unfit."

A knock came at the door and the woman called out. "Enter."

Charlie walked in, shoving the door closed behind himself with just enough force for it to click home. "Grace." He said to the woman and then knelt in front of her to caress Juliette's cheek as she suckled. "And how is the little one doing today?"

"Juliette is quite content. But you may wish to address your brother, he's awake." Grace said.

"What?" Charlie said, tried to spin and stand at the same time, but ended up flat on his back on the floor. "Core." He swore as Grace laughed gently.

"Do you have no shame?" Bill asked his brother while he struggled to get to his feet.

"What?" Charlie repeated, finally using the metal arm of the bed to haul his massive frame vertical. The brothers shared an intense gaze before Bill motioned to Grace behind Charlie.

"Oh, that." Charlie said after a look over his shoulder at Grace calmly switching Juliette to her other breast. "Perfectly natural brother mine. Never knew you were so uptight about the display of delectable female flesh."

"Charlie!" Both Bill and Grace exclaimed in a strange stereo.

"I've got a Mastery in Care of Magical Creatures. Ever help a female Sphinx give birth? Or get pregnant to begin with? Let me tell you, in my work, you lose the ability to be shocked about nudity pretty damned fast." Charlie said to Bill before turning to address Grace. "Healer McFarra, I meant no insult. I find you both attractive and witty, and not merely displaying yourself for my enjoyment. If I had known you prior to your marriage vows, I certainly would have asked you out."

When Grace blushed and looked down to pay attention to Juliette, he turned back to his older brother.

"So." Bill said.

"So, I've been acting Head of House. You need to know a lot, but here are the basics. Dad's upstairs, he has some lucid moments, but is usually sleeping. Mum and the twins went to Azkaban, but when the Dark Lord stormed it they went missing. They're not dead, and I've told the D.M.L.E. this as their clock hands point to mortal peril. Ronald is apparently crazy and is somewhere with Gilderoy Lockhart. Ginny is a Ward of House Potter, due to her life being saved by Harry Potter. She is happy and well treated, I've spoken with her several times. She's at Hogwarts. She did not get her dream of being Mrs. Potter however, that title is firmly held by Miss Granger, who is officially Consort Potter."

"Do you know?" Bill asked.

Charlie nodded once and patted his older brother's shoulder. "You didn't have a choice. Potions make us do things we normally wouldn't."

The noise out in the halls suddenly rose dramatically causing the conversation to come to a halt. With a quick flip of her wand, Healer McFarra was again dressed and had her daughter up on her shoulder to burp her.

"I'll see what's going on." She said and stood.

Charlie quickly side-stepped and opened the door for her. Healers were running past, in small clumps, all heading down to the main floor. An announcement echoed along the hallway. "Attack in Hogsmeade, children and Aurors are injured. All certified healers proceed to the apparition point immediately."

"I'm afraid that includes me." Healer McFarra said and walked quickly from the room, her daughter still held to her shoulder.

}-{

Aurora Sinistra was on the horns of a dilemma. And she hated thinking of this conundrum in those terms, but the saying seemed to fit better than any other. She was taking advantage of the pleasant day, without classes to teach, to ponder what, if anything, she should do.

The crux of the matter, was Harry Potter.

Due to his forced participation in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he was now legally an adult. And she supposed magically as well, though actually it would have had to work the other way around wouldn't it?

"What am I doing?" she spoke aloud and paused in her journey around the lake. Something was off about the Whomping Willow, but she was too far away to tell just what. Well, she didn't need to continue the way she was going, so altered her path to take her back up the hill and around to the base of the massive tree.

So, if Harry Potter was both magically and legally an adult, and it mattered not one whit, which had come first, then there was nothing for her to be concerned about.

But if on the other hand, he'd been tricked, though she supposed that it was far more likely that it was he whom had tricked others…

"Hmmm." She muttered and ducked under a low hanging branch before picking her way across the loose gravel at the base of the hill.

If he is an adult, then the Consort ring he wore was perfectly legal. Similarly the Lords ring for House Potter would not be present, though the Heirship ring for House Black could, no matter the legalities of the other rings.

She reached the top of the hill and paused. There were pieces of fabric tangled in the lower branches. Why would there be fabric in the willow? It didn't seem to be moving violently, just its usual twisting about.

With a shrug she began walking closer to gather more information before seeking out Pomona. She couldn't very well tell her follow teacher that someone seemed to be drying their laundry in it?

Stifling a laugh at the absurdity of the thought she turned her attention back to the tree.

"Get away from there!" She cried immediately and ran forward, all thoughts of silliness gone.

There was a boy sitting just outside of the branches, and as she got closer she thought it had to be Mr. Longbottom, but he wouldn't be foolish enough to approach the tree.

"What are you doing?" she called as she ran up to his position.

He turned his head, there was a bloody gash on his cheek and he seemed to be dazed. Instead of answering he pointed to his lap.

There was a female student crumpled, and bent unnaturally lying before him.

"Merlin!" Aurora said and promptly levitated the pair. With them floating behind her she ran towards the school.

}-{

The castle was chaotic when they arrived, Marlene had remained in Hogsmeade with Madam Bones, though Susan had joined them on the long walk up to the school. It was still several hours before dinner, and no one seemed to know where to go and were instead hanging out in the entrance hall to find their friends.

In addition to the students, there were Aurors and villagers, all mixed about looking lost.

Tracey and Jasper, were standing with Ginny and Luna off to the left of the entrance. Both of the younger girls ran up to Astoria and engulfed her in a hug. The three shared a rapid-fire conversation to get up to date on what had happened.

Tracey gently hugged Daphne, then surprised everyone by doing the same to Pansy. "Thank you." She said to the surprised girl.

"You'd do the same if I had a little sister in that situation." Pansy said with a shrug.

"Oh, no." Harry said firmly. "You'll not get off that lightly Miss Parkinson."

"What?" She said, looking suddenly afraid.

"You've done a service to my house, and I'll see that rewarded." He said quickly to reduce her panic. "We'll find a solution to your problem as soon as we can."

Pansy curtsied. "My thanks, Lord Potter."

"Pan." Daphne said when the girl turned to walk away. "House Greengrass owes you a debt. I'll not accept you denying it and it shall be paid."

"Thanks." Pansy said and in spite of the crowd wondering what this was all about, she gave the Ice Queen a gentle hug before heading into the castle.

"Clear the way!" a loud voice called from behind them a moment later.

Most of the students hurried to move to the side of the entrance, as Professor Sinistra ran past them with two figures levitated behind her.

"That's Neville." Harry said in shock. Several others also recognized the Gryffindor while Parvati Patil let out a shriek and ran after them into the castle leaving Lavender Brown standing in shock.

"I'm going to head to the infirmary." Susan said, suddenly looking pale. "Maybe I can help." She added in a lost voice as she joined the crowd pushing their way inside.

"I don't think there's anything we can do." Hermione said softly when Harry looked at her in question.

"Yeah, it's probably crowded by people who don't need to be there." He said.

"I'd like to lie down." Daphne said, watching Astoria head into the school with Luna and Ginny glued to her. The three younger girls appeared inseparable.

"Sure." Harry said.

When they finally reached their suite, Daphne collapsed on the bed, cradling her left arm. She remained utterly silent.

"Daphne?" Harry cried and went to her side. He was very cautious about touching her or even shaking her by sitting on the bed so he knelt in front of her.

"Merlin my arm hurts." She said, her words muffled in the blanket.

"I'm going to cut off your shirt." Hermione said and ever-so-carefully cast the cutting hex as she pulled the loose fabric away from their lover's arm.

The arm revealed was black and blue, from her elbow to wrist.

Harry hissed at the sight, but restrained himself from touching her yet.

"Numbing charm please?" Daphne asked.

"Sorry." Hermione said and cast the spell.

Daphne immediately relaxed and allowed them to help her remove the remainder of her shirt. "I think maybe I should go to the infirmary." She said as the lack of pain allowed her to think clearly.

"Sure." Harry said and went for her robe in their shared closet.

The Infirmary was just as crowded as they had thought. In addition to Madam Pomfrey, several Healers in St. Mungos robes were present. Susan was at a table just inside the door, wand in hand. The Bulwark hung on the back of the tall chair. She looked surprised to see them, but asked. "What's wrong?"

"My arm." Daphne said, half-lifting the sleeve of the loose robe.

Susan pointed her wand at Daphne's left arm, then at a form in front of her, which glowed. She handed it to Harry, "Take her to the third bed on the left. Yours I believe." She added with a shadow of a smile.

Harry took the parchment and guided Daphne along, while Hermione bent down to share a few words with their ginger friend. Harry's bed was empty and he helped his lady lay down.

Hermione joined them, looking like she was in pain. "Neville was struck by a curse, and lost a lot of blood, but it had already been healed. Padma got hit by the Whomping Willow. She was taken straight to St. Mungos. Her back's broken."

Just as Harry started to say something a wondrous tune washed over the room. The source was quite obviously the Phoenix perched atop a screen at the far end of the chamber. The tune made everyone pause and lifted their spirits.

Daphne relaxed more into the pillow as though greatly relieved. Before their conversation could resume the school healer hurried up to them.

"What's the matter here?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she approached, taking the parchment Susan had enchanted from Harry's hand and reading it.

"My arm." Daphne said, pulling back the sleeve of her robe with Harry's help and showing the blackened, and slightly bent, appendage.

Poppy gave it a quick look, then went back to the parchment for a moment, nodding to herself. "Girl does good work." She said absently before turning her attention to them.

"Susan wrote that you broke it in the fighting in Hogsmeade. She healed it, then you later aggravated it while looking for your sister. Let's see if you need those bones vanished. Mr. Potter can tell you all about that while I work." She began casting spells over the injured arm.

Harry wanted to take her hand, but was on her side with the broken one, so he shifted upwards and placed his hand on her shoulder instead. "So you remember Lockhart vanishing the bones in my arm, back in second year?"

"Of course." Daphne said. "That was when Dobby was protecting you, right?" she added in a whisper.

"Yes." Harry said while Hermione stifled a laugh, turning it into a cough.

"Since the bones were missing, I had to take Skeli-Grow. My arm burned all night as the bones re-grew. Didn't get much sleep, apparently even a numbing charm could cause problems."

"Yes," Poppy said. "The nerves wouldn't re-connect correctly. Well it looks like you'll be spending the night Miss…" Poppy trailed off, suddenly noticing the ring on Daphne's hand. "I mean Lady Black." She said in a soft voice, that didn't carry.

"I was afraid of that." Daphne said, ignoring the healer's correction, and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before patting Harry's arm. "I'll see you two in the morning. Right Madam?"

"Yes." The healer said, nodding. "I'll be right back with the potion. And allow you to say your goodbyes in private."

"Send a letter to my father." Daphne said as soon as the healer was gone. "Tell him to purchase Pansy's contract from Malfoy. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. She has saved my sister, we must repay the debt."

Harry blinked, "Um."

"Yes. Of course. He's grey enough for Malfoy." Hermione said and bent to give Daphne a quick kiss to her lips. "We'll be by before breakfast. Come on Harry, let's go send that letter, then check on our Wards."

"Yeah." He said and gave Daphne a slower kiss. "You get healthy so I can shag you rotten."

Daphne blushed.

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat from behind the boy who jumped, emitting a yelp of surprise.

Harry fled the room, with a giggling Hermione being dragged along.

}-{

Marlene McKinnon, The Spear of the Light, would rather not be where she was, but duty left her with no options. She would carry out her duties, no matter the cost to herself.

"McKinnon?" Madam Bones called.

Marlene shared a quick glance with her best friend and spun on her heel to walk into the command tent. "Madam Bones?" she said while still approaching.

"Sit." Her boss said, waving at the empty space in front of her desk.

Marlene conjured her usual chair and sat, with the Spear tucked into the crook of her left arm.

"You killed Dementors?" Madam Bones asked in an incredulous whisper.

The Hit Witch shrugged. "It appears so. There were several factors involved. I was pushing very hard against them with The Spear, its light caused them to freeze in place while making them break apart. Lord Potter was using Hope, a blade augmented by Merlin himself. And my Niece was also successful with her Mogness Blade."

"And these golden orbs? I have three independent reports of them."

"Several came out of the Dementors we defeated. I witnessed two enter the bodies of the shopkeepers of Marvin's Miscellany. They had apparently been kissed. Two more apparently entered the young male students in the same room. Several others passed through the walls of the building, while a few vanished into the ceiling."

It was nearly two minutes before Madam Bones shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "How many?"

"Twenty or so. I'll have to review the memory in my Pensive to give you a more accurate total. Do you know where Henry is? He volunteered to patrol here today and I've yet to hear from him."

The relief Madam Bones had shown from learning that Dementors could be destroyed, vanished and a cold feeling went through Marlene's gut.

"He's dead isn't he?"

"Yes." Madam Bones said softly, "He was found near Scrivenshaft's, the worst part is that his robe was missing."

"Damn." Marlene said, slapping her leg with her free hand.

"We have a major problem there. Now any Hit Wizard, or Witch, is suspect unless they are willing to reveal their identity. I've got no choice but to inform all of you not to wear your robes until we've recovered his."

Marlene nodded, she rarely wore hers anyway, but there were some who lived in them. "I'll spread the word. Is there anything else?"

"No, you may return to the castle and resume your duties. Send Norwood in."

}-{

Daphne wasn't going to get much sleep. Instead she was working on reviewing the fight, and what she could have done differently. Obviously she needed to control herself a bit more, she'd nearly lost it completely at several points. If not for Harry, she might have been killed.

Could Nott have tried to use her anger against her? She doubted it, as he had never seen her angry. Her cold indifference had usually been sufficient. But there had been times when she had reacted violently, perhaps Nott had heard of those.

Who was she kidding? Everyone in Slytherin had heard of them.

"Daphne?"

"Susan." Daphne said and opened her eyes. The infirmary had finally settled down, and it was still an hour before dinner.

"How are you feeling?"

"Left arm is burning, about an inch below my elbow. Otherwise I'm doing well. I'm hungry, if there's room service here, I'd like a substantial meal."

Susan was smiling by the time Daphne was done talking. "Sure. Or you could call your own elf?"

"I think I'll do that, thanks. Kreacher?"

Daphne had hardly finished the elf's name when he arrived with a loud pop. "Lady Black? What are you doing here? Are you injured? Who did this to you, I'll flay them alive and make you a set of garters from their skin!"

Susan pulled away from the angry elf, her eyes wide.

"Kreacher, stop." Daphne ordered. Once the elf had gained control of himself she continued. "There were Death Eaters and Dementors in Hogsmeade today. The bones in my arm are being re-grown. I will be fine in the morning. Please bring me a large dinner, enough for both of us."

"Lady." Kreacher said with a bow and popped away.

"Would he really?" Susan asked.

Daphne shrugged. "He's very protective of me. I'm certain he's always like that, though I've no idea if he can do what he said."

"I'll get a table for us." Susan said and stood.

Before she could go anywhere a table and chair appeared on the right side of Daphne's bed. It was just tall enough to be about four inches over her mattress.

"Guess I'll move over there." Susan said.

"Any word on Neville or Padma?" She knew Neville was in the bed to her left, though they were each now sectioned off by teal curtains, which were silenced. She hadn't heard a word from Harry's best male friend.

Susan sat in the chair and pulled herself nearer the table. "He'll be released in the morning. Apparently he was hit by a cutting curse, and passed out. Padma healed him, it was her magical signature, though he'd lost a lot of blood. He doesn't remember much, delirium from the low blood pressure. No word from St. Mungo's on Padma."

Their meal arrived a moment later, thinly cut road beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes. Four Butter-beers were off to the side, ice crystals forming on their surface. Perfect for one-handed eating.

"Thank you Kreacher." Daphne called to the empty air. "Is Padma's injury similar to mine?"

Susan shook her head, not looking up from the platter as she moved two of the sandwiches to her plate. "Not really, the spine has to be healed, then the bones re-grown around it. Even then it's not guaranteed that he brain will be able to control her body, we don't understand just why."

Daphne nodded and moved several sandwiches to her plate. They seemed to also be enchanted not to fall apart, as she knocked one over, it remained in one piece. "How is the Headmaster?" she asked after consuming several of the small sandwiches.

"Magical exhaustion." Susan said after swallowing. "He should wake in a few days."

"That's not good at all." Daphne said.

Susan added a shake of her head in affirmation, her mouth full. She took a swig of the Butter-beer Kreacher had provided. "We're going to have to be more prominent in the war."

"If the Prophet has any details on what we did today, that should help." Daphne said, serving herself another sandwich from the mostly empty platter.

"But it's going to hurt a lot that he's not out there making statements and reassuring the masses."

"We'll have to do it then." Daphne said, taking another swig of her Butter-beer. "Kreacher."

"My Lady? Are the sandwiches not sufficient?"

"The food is excellent as always my elf. Can you inform my Ward, I would like to speak with her after dinner. Let her know where I am as well."

"Of course Lady Black. Is there anything else you wish?"

Daphne shook her head slowly and the elf vanished.

"Your Ward?" Susan said then nodded a moment later. "Miss Lovegood?"

"Yes." Daphne said and finished her fourth small sandwich. "I may be stuck here, but writing a press release with her will keep me distracted from this constant burning in my arm."

"Poppy won't like her here too long."

"She is a Ward of House Black. Only Lord Black can countermand my wishes in her regard." Daphne said her nose tilted dramatically upwards.

Susan froze and then giggled at the blonde's tone.

Daphne covered her mouth with her right hand and laughed along with her.

"I'll remind Poppy and the other healers from St. Mungos." Susan said and got to her feet. "You try to rest while you can." With a gentle pat on her blanket-covered leg, the ginger heiress of the House of Bones left her alone.

}-{

"Neville?" Padma whispered through her dry lips as she woke. She was in an almost dark room, and couldn't understand where she was, but the first thing she remembered was Neville needing help.

She heard crying, then her sister emerged from the shadows and placed a trembling hand on her cheek. "Pad?" her twin said, then she came closer, kissing her other cheek. The only light was off to the side and very dim. She could just see her sister's profile.

"Where?"

"St. Mungos. Mum's in the hall." Parvati managed to say, her hand jerking around on her cheek.

"What?" Padma said, licking her lips. "Water?"

"Slow. Don't move."

It took a minute but then Parvati placed a straw between her lips and Padma gratefully swallowed several mouthfuls.

"You got crushed by the Whomping Willow." Parvati said after putting the cup down.

"Don't remember." Padma said, scrunching her eyebrows in thought. She usually didn't have any issues remembering things.

"You're…" Parvati let out a louder sob before violently scrubbing her face with her hands. "Sorry, your back was broken."

"Merlin." Padma said, suddenly realizing she couldn't even feel her body. For all she knew she existed as a floating head in the near-dark.

"They've got you immobilized and numbed."

"Can they fix me?"

"We'll know tomorrow."

Padma was silent for nearly a minute, finally hearing a muttered conversation some distance away, that was likely her mum. "What about Neville?"

"You forget about him, he nearly got you killed!"

The room was suddenly flooded with light as the door was shoved open from outside. Padma closed her eyes against the sudden change.

"Do not raise your voice Parv." Their mother said sharply, silhouetted in the doorway.

"Mum!" Padma called, now with her eyes slit open a hair.

Then her mum was there, palms pressed to each of her cheeks and a solid kiss placed to her brow. "My angel."

"She wanted to know about the boy." Parvati said angrily as the door slid closed with a thump, leaving them in near-darkness once again.

"Parv, stop. Of course she wants to know what happened to him." Their mum said, twisting her head to face her other daughter.

"But." Parvati said and collapsed onto one of the chairs. Padma could picture her clearly in her mind, arms crossed and pouting.

"Mr. Longbottom is at Hogwarts. I believe he will make a full recovery in a day or two. Apparently he owes his life to your healing."

"Yeah." Padma said and was surprised she could nod her head. "I remember that. He got hit by a cutting hex while we were running away from the Death Eaters. Then he passed out and I had to heal him."

"And then the Dementors came? An Auror was just telling me of this."

"Yes, I found a tunnel from the Shrieking Shack onto the grounds. It came up under the willow. Neville stopped it from moving, but I guess we took too long to get away from it."

"Well Angel, you rest. Tomorrow we'll know if the healings worked. If not we'll go home to India and see what they can do for you."

"Alright." Padma said then cleared her throat. "Can you get a note to Susan Bones? Tell her I'm sorry. I tried."

"Angel?" her mother said, looking confused. "Why is this?"

"Um."

"It's a Noble House thing Mum." Parvati injected bitterly.

"Parv." Padma hissed.

"Girls."

When they were both silent Padma explained. "Susan is the last of her family, she needs to be a second spouse to someone."

"Mr. Longbottom." Her mother provided when Padma paused.

"Yes, so she asked me to go on a date with him."

"He's just like all of them mum." Parvati said.

"No." Padma said quickly and added a shake of her head. Cool she could move her head.

"Parv, let your sister finish."

"Yes, Mum."

"I spent the day talking to him. He was really sweet, wanted to know all about India and our culture." Padma drifted off, thinking about their long conversation under the yew.

"And?"

"Sorry, Mum. He swore he wouldn't try to change me, just so long as I took his name and our children did as well. They would be the Heirs to the Ancient and Noble House."

"I don't see the problem then." Their mother said, before glancing to Parvati. "Parvati, do you like this boy as well?"

Parvati sniffled and drew inward.

"Parv?" Padma asked softly.

"So what if I do?"

"Well." Their mother said and leaned back in her chair. "Have you adopted stuffy British attitudes Parv? There is nothing wrong with multiple spouses. Or are you upset that I have three sister-wives with your father?"

"No mum." Parvati said quickly.

"Then what's the problem?"

It took a few more minutes of prying but finally Parvati said. "He didn't ask me out."

"We'll talk to him Parv." Padma said.

"Do you still wish the same message sent to Miss Bones?"

Padma contemplated the idea for almost too long. "No, tell her I'll be back when I can and my sister and I need to talk to her."

}-{

Harry opened the door to their suite and ushered Hermione inside. He headed to their table for parchment, but she was ahead of him and sat at the table, pulling out her favorite quill.

"I'll write what you tell me." She said. Left unsaid was that her penmanship was leagues better than his.

"Um, sure." He said, sitting on the end of their bed instead. "Start with formal greetings I guess."

 _Greetings Lord Greengrass,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. Unfortunately, I have grave news for you. During the Hogsmeade visit today Theodore Nott attempted to kidnap your daughter Astoria. Though she was surrounded by her friends, she was overwhelmed and taken._

 _Only through the valiant efforts of Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis and Jasper Mulcumber was she rescued. Mr. Mulcumber killed Mr. Nott, while Miss Davis killed two Death Eaters who were assisting him._

 _Miss Parkinson snuck up on the three and was able to remove Astoria from their control just as the fight was happening. She then remained with your daughter until they were found by Myself, Daphne, Lady McKinnon, and our companions._

 _Before we located them they were cornered by Dementors. Only through Miss Parkinson's quick thinking were both of them able to remain in possession of their souls._

 _Astoria is now safely back within Hogwarts._

 _It has come to my attention that Miss Parkinson is subject to a betrothal agreement with the Malfoys. Due to their current need of funds, they have placed her contract up for sale._

 _This young lady saved Astoria's life on two separate occasions today and must be rewarded._

 _Per mine, and Daphne's wishes, you are to purchase Miss Parkinson's betrothal contract from Lord Malfoy. Fear not the expense as you will be paid in full from the Potter vaults._

 _I implore you to move swiftly, less others acquire this valiant young woman._

 _Yours,_

 _Lord Potter. Heir Black._

Harry then sealed the letter with both of his family rings. Hedwig arrived at their window as he was doing this and Hermione let the brilliant bird inside. She scratched the avians breast gently with her nails, eliciting a head-butt of appreciation.

Once the missive was on the way, Harry began slowly removing his clothes. Hermione sat watching him, lost in thought until he was shucking his boxers. She quickly stripped as he walked to the loo, and joined him just as he started the shower.

He caught her arm as she slipped stepping into the shower. Together they managed to maintain their footing.

She spent the next ten minutes slowly kissing him while she scrubbed everything she could reach with the soap. Harry returned the favor, until they stepped closer to the falling water and soaked their hair.

He quickly washed his shorter hair while she started on her long tresses. Once he rinsed himself he helped her make sure that her hair was clean. He trailed slow kisses down her long neck, before verifying her nipples were clean by giving each a short, but intense suckle.

She groaned in response, pushing her chest out for him, but he stepped from the shower instead.

Their drying was similarly slow, with Harry standing still at first, while Hermione toweled him from his mop of hair, down his nearly repaired body. She paused briefly at his cock, giving the head a lick while gently drying his balls.

Now it was his turn to groan in frustration, as she knelt and dried each of his legs in turn.

Harry had already grabbed a fresh towel from the rack, Daphne's emerald green one, and threw it around Hermione's shoulder as she stood. She dropped the towel she'd been using on him and took the green one, wrapping it around her head, with a well-practiced twist and flip.

Now with Hermione's golden towel he returned the favor and dried first her arms, then her torso, making sure to lift her breasts by suckling on each nipple and lifting. Just so he could dry under them.

One of her hands grabbed the towel-bar to steady herself, while the other held his head in place until he'd dried under each of her breasts several times.

Finally releasing him, he was able to dry the remainder of her torso and kneel before her.

"I love the smell of you." He said, gently drying the delicate flower between her spread legs.

She could only smirk at him, having to hold her breath as he ducked his head in to give her a quick lick along her slit. Hermione went to her toes and would have fallen over if not for his steadying hand on her ass and her tight grip on the towel-bar.

Then he was behind her, drying her legs, then moving upwards, kissing along her wet spine as he dried the deep dip at her waist and up to her back to her shoulders.

"Hold your hat." He whispered to her, just before he wrapped the towel around her torso and slowly picked her up, with an arm under her shoulders and the other her thighs.

Harry hadn't known a kind touch until she had given him the first hug he could recall. It had taken him years to realize it, but she had become his world within a few short years.

She hadn't had a true friend until him. Never before had the brilliant girl felt she could fully express herself, physically, emotionally, and intellectually without feeling she would be picked on. Harry got her. He understood she needed to know, everything.

Without words, they gently and with infinite patience, positioned themselves on the bed. Her hand slipped between them, rubbing his head against her wet slit. Three slow thrusts later, while they kissed, and he was completely encompassed by her perfect warmth.

She planted her feet on the bed, lifting her hips to meet him.

Their hands locked together, fingers intertwined. He moved slow, forcing her to match his pace. Gradually they began moaning into one another's mouths as their pace increased.

"God, I love you." She said, just before he pushed her beyond words.

"Love you." He said firmly, looking into her eyes, then repeated himself, with firm thrusts between accompanying each word.

Their magic pushed them over the edge as one. She clenched nearly every muscle in her body as she came, forcing his seed from him in great heaving strands.

Entwined, they drifted, in blissful peace.

Hermione woke a bit later and realized it was time for dinner. "It's dinner time. We need to track down the girls."

Harry stretched and yawned. "Yeah. Alright, I'm awake." He said and rolled to the side of the bed close to the loo before climbing to his feet.

A few minutes later, Hermione still braiding her hair with her wand, they left their suite. "Where do you think the girls went?"

"Let's check and see if they're eating." Hermione was thinking about Pansy and Lord Greengrass. She hoped that he would be willing to sell Pansy, to someone Pansy chose, once he owned her contract. "I hate betrothals you know."

"Yeah." Harry said, as they waited for the stairs to align so they could make their way down to the Great Hall.

"She might as well be a slave."

"Mine. I've got no idea if or how this will work out for Pansy, but we need to stay within the laws, when we can."

Hermione paused and gave him a hug in thanks before walking down the stairs, their arms looped together as usual, without saying another word.

When they entered the Great Hall, dinner was in full swing, though the mood was subdued. To their great relief, Marlene was sitting at the Head Table, looking a bit tired and dirty, but eating while nodding to McGonagall's words.

"Harry!" Ginny called.

He raised his hand to let her know they had heard her and they took the narrow spot beside the ginger. Harry ended up squashed against Katie Bell, who gave him a shallow smile and ruffled his hair.

"Bell." Harry said, ducking, though he couldn't get away from her.

"Just playing with you Potter." Katie said in a playful voice before going back to her own meal.

"So why is my sister in the infirmary?" Astoria asked from her seat across from them.

Luna sat beside her, making a sculpture of her bangers and mash. It appeared to be something between a grim and a polar bear.

"She broke her left arm." Hermione answered. "Susan had healed it, but Daphne aggravated it."

"Poppy had to vanish the bones, from here down." Harry said, showing the girls by pointing at his own left elbow.

"Ouch." Astoria said.

"I'll tell you, that's not fun." Harry said and poured himself and Hermione a tall glass of water.

"You had that happen?" Astoria asked.

"Yes," Katie said, jumping into their conversation. "It was your first year, Harry's second. Flophart vanished them after Harry won us a Quidditch match."

"He'd broken his left arm during the match." Hermione said. "Got hit with a bludger."

"But Hero boy here." Katie said, then seemed to regret her choice of words and scowled. "Sorry Harry." She said to him before resuming her tale. "So Harry here, kept playing, with a broken hand, and then made a spectacular catch."

"Since he couldn't fly his broom and catch the snitch, he had to let go of the broom. Fortunately he wasn't far off the ground as he crashed." Hermione said.

"At least I didn't swallow that one." Harry said with a chuckle.

"But she'll be alright?" Astoria asked.

"Sure." Harry said.

"Poppy said she would be fine in the morning." Hermione said and then focused on her food.

"Really." Harry said. "It's not pleasant. She won't sleep tonight, but it works."

"I'm going to see her after dinner." Luna said without looking up from her polar bear, which was now missing its head as she'd eaten it. "We're going to write a press release." She added, finally shifting her attention to the couple across from her.

"Kreacher came and told Luna that Daphne wanted her to come to the Infirmary after dinner to write a press release." Ginny said to clarify as Harry was obviously confused.

"Oh."

"What's a press release?" Ginny asked.

"It's an article, which shows the author's point of view about a topic." Hermione explained. "I assume that this will focus on the attack in Hogsmeade. Showing the Wizarding public our perspective on it. As opposed to the Ministry's view, or Madam Bones'."

"Is that a good idea?" Astoria asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Depends on what she wants to write. I'll assume she'll let us look it over tomorrow. But if she wants to send it as Lady Black, none of us would stop her."

"Well." Luna said after a few frantic minutes of clearing her plate. "I'm going to get started."

"I'm coming with you." Astoria said. "To check on my sister."

"And I'll go too." Ginny said after Hermione nodded to her unasked question.

"Students?" Professor McGonagall said loudly in the room. The hall quickly grew silent as she waited at the podium. "Thank you. We need all of you to report if any of your friends are missing. The thorough searching of Hogsmeade will take some time, and I'd like to account for any missing students prior to that. So if you can all check in with your Head of House we'll finish sorting it out."

Professor Snape, was standing near the head of the Slytherin table, while Sprout and Flitwick were at their tables.

"I regret to inform you all that several students were slain, and almost twenty are injured, a few severely. Those have been taken to St. Mungos. Now, please make sure your Head of House is aware of your presence within the castle."

She stepped down and moved to the head of the Gryffindor table.

The three girls had been standing in the aisle while McGonagall spoke. Together they went first to Professor Snape and made sure he'd acknowledged Astoria, before moving to McGonagall and then down to Flitwick. They headed to the infirmary shortly afterwards.

With Ginny gone, Hermione shifted down the table a few inches, allowing Harry to do the same.

"Aww." Katie said. "Now I'm all cold on this side."

"Find your own man." Hermione said, wrapping both of her arms around Harry and giving him a surprisingly tender hug.

Several girls near them sighed loudly. Katie laughed, though it sounded a bit too forced and trill.

Pansy Parkinson sat opposite Harry. The elves had already cleared the remains of Luna and Astoria's meals. She shared a long look with Harry, and seemed to be pleading for something. He gave her a solid nod. "Welcome to Gryffindor table Miss Parkinson."

The other Gryffindor students around them went silent.

"Thank you My Lord Potter." Pansy said and began filling a plate.

"Did you check in with Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, as though she sat at their table all the time. Pansy had lead their Defense team, and typically joined them for their exercises, she hadn't joined them in the Great Hall.

Pansy nodded, her mouth already full.

"Harry and I were thinking about heading to the library after dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure." Pansy said. "Did you finish researching what you wanted to look into?"

Harry was probably reading too much into the girl's words, but to him this was about getting Pansy out of her contract with Malfoy, and not their Defense homework.

"Yes and we'd like to share the results with you and see what you think." Hermione said.

Slowly the conversations around them began again. Astoria and Luna hadn't caused this while they were here, which Harry finally decided it had to be that Pansy was, or had been, tied to Draco.

He searched the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting near Blaise. No one else was near them, and both were keeping their heads down. _Good, the ferret deserves to feel like an outcast_. Harry thought.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

"I need to talk to Malfoy." Pansy said when they stood to head to the library.

"Sure, we'll wait by the side door." Hermione said, tugging Harry's hand as he looked ready to punch Malfoy in the face.

"What did your father say?" They heard Pansy ask as they walked past the table, Draco's immediate reaction was to cringe and drop his fork to the table.

Blaise edged away, looking at Pansy in fear.

They were too far away to hear Draco's response, but it was fairly short. Pansy said something else to him with her brows furrowed. He nodded and she strode over to them, her back painfully erect, not giving Draco any sign she was hurt emotionally.

"No answer." She said when she got close to them instead of ending up in the library, she led them to one of the Defense study rooms that Marlene had set aside for each team to use. She wrote their team name on the board outside and then collapsed into the couch, arm across her eyes.

Harry closed the door and then cast several privacy charms upon it before silencing the walls, ceiling and floor.

"Pan." Hermione said, scooting a chair to the end of the couch where Pansy's head was. She sat and took one of the girl's hands.

Without uncovering her eyes Pansy talked. "Before I went to Hogsmeade to find you, I told Draco to tell his father not to sell my contract. I would find someone and tell him to approve it."

She paused, pulled a napkin from one of her pockets, and held it over her eyes.

Hermione squeezed her hand gently as Harry sat down at the table behind her.

"His father didn't answer the floo. So he sent a message through one of their elves."

"Pansy." Harry said his voice came out as a whisper, then cleared his throat and spoke louder. "Sorry. Daphne told us to inform her father, Lord Greengrass, that you saved Astoria's life twice today and that he should purchase your contract from Malfoy."

Pansy took the news surprisingly well, Hermione thought, as the girl crushed her hand. When Hermione hissed in pain, Pansy immediately released her and uncovered her teary eyes to look. "Sorry."

"No, that's alright." Hermione said, flexing her hand. "We don't really know anyone else whom Malfoy might agree to."

"I thought of Lord Black." Pansy said, sitting up straighter. "It's why I went to Hogsmeade looking for you.

"No," Harry said and shook his head. "That won't work."

"But he could use a consort right?" Pansy asked, twisting to sit up, but tucking her feet under her on the couch.

"Yes, but he's… What's the word Mine?"

"Sterile." Hermione said. "He can't make babies."

"Oh," Pansy said, her eyebrows crunching down in thought as she worried the napkin.

"Which, yes, is why we think Daphne became Lady Black. She isn't pregnant, but is bound to the heir." Harry said, making a show of the Black ring on his hand.

"Are you sure you're not willing to have me?" Pansy asked in a whisper, looking at her knees. "I'll be good." Her magic flitted about the chamber, brushing against the hardened shell of their bond.

Daphne had almost burned out her own magic today to keep from adding Susan to their bond. He couldn't now accept one, especially after all his protests and making Hermione promise there would be no more. His heart did reach out to her. He would see her safe and happy, no matter the cost. "Pansy." Harry said softly and sat on the floor beside Hermione's chair. "As much as I wish to help you, no. I am truly sorry Pansy. I will aid you in any other way possible, but I've made my ladies promise, and given my own word. No more."

"Is there perhaps some leeway you can use with Lord Greengrass?" Hermione said, Pansy had started crying as soon as Harry voiced his rejection and she needed to push both of them towards another option. "Daphne will not continue the Greengrass line, so Astoria has to claim Line Continuation. You saved her life, twice today."

Pansy pressed the torn napkin to her wet eyes again. A moment later she removed it and spoke in a shaky voice. "You mean adding some conditions to my contract, once he's purchased it?"

"Yes." Harry said.

"Or forcing him to release you." Hermione said.

She met his eyes for the first time and he saw the possibility of hope in them.

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, before Harry lay down, tucking his hands under the back of his head and stared at the ceiling.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, knowing from their bond that he was pensive about something.

"Well." Harry said slowly. "We know Susan needs Line Continuation, and she and Neville have, an arrangement. So who is going to be Lady Longbottom?"

"He was on a date with Padma today." Hermione said.

"Yeah, and we have no idea how that went, except they ended up being smashed by the Whomping Willow." Pansy said.

"Pan." Hermione said. "Do you really care about continuing your line?"

Pansy immediately scowled, but she managed to remain silent as she dutifully thought about the idea. Ultimately she sighed. "I'm not sure. It seems so hard to continue. Everyone hates us. With my father and uncle dead, it's really just my mum and I. She's committed to supporting the Dark Lord."

"And you're not." Hermione said with a nod. "That's what I was thinking. So if you don't care…"

"Then I do not need Line Continuation." Pansy said.

"But that's what's in the contract isn't it?" Harry asked.

Pansy shrugged. "I've never read it. Father wouldn't allow me. A copy is in our vault at Gringotts, though I've no access to it."

"Who can?"

"I suppose a Solicitor could. But maybe only when interested in purchasing it."

A pop from behind Harry made everyone draw their wands. "Heir Black!" Kreacher said loudly from just inside the doorway. "Lady Black requires you and Consort Potter in the infirmary immediately."

Harry scrambled from the floor as soon as his brain processed the Black Elf's words. He barreled through the door, not bothering with removing the enchantments.

"Come on!" Hermione said, snatching Pansy's hand and pulling the girl to her feet before running after Harry.

}-{

Daphne was meditating, trying to block out the pain in her arm, while she composed the press release. One of the St. Mungo's healers had conjured a wooden frame to keep her arm in the same position all night. It didn't add to her pain, just made it more awkward to find a good position on the bed.

After their shared meal, Susan had headed to her dorm for a long soak and an early bed. For Susan's sake she hoped Neville made a full recovery, if he did not that would put a lot more pressure on Harry to accept more witches needing Line Continuation. Well, they'd cross that bridge when they reached it.

She'd felt Harry and Hermione making love through the bond and desperately wanted to join them. Of course being stuck in the infirmary precluded that. Though he had promised to shag-her-rotten, which led to all kinds of interesting thoughts.

The main doors opened, she tried to ignore it. _How should she present the destruction of the Dementors?_

"Daph!"

 _And Story is here._ She thought and opened her eyes. "I'm glad to see you brought Luna and Ginny with you." Daphne said to the girls as they crowded the right side of the bed.

"How are you doing?" Astoria asked, looking as though she wanted to climb into her elder sister's lap as she had so often in the past.

"As well as can be expected." Daphne said, using her wand to conjure three stools for the girls to sit in, though none of them moved to take them.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Ginny asked in a timid voice.

Daphne brushed her fingers over Ginny's cheek. "It hurts, but I would not qualify it as a lot. There is a burning sensation, about two inches below my elbow. It was higher earlier. Assuming that is the potion doing its work, it will progress to my finger-tips and be done."

"So it hurts, but you're not crying or screaming about it?" Astoria asked.

"And what would be the point of that sister? A numbing potion or charm would mean I could not feel, or likely move that hand. Therefore I will endure the pain."

"Oh." Astoria said, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry."

"Story, there is nothing to be sorry for. This had nothing to do with your kidnapping by Nott. In fact, I shall tell you a secret." She said, leaning as far towards them as she could.

The three leaned in, ready to hear Daphne's whispered words.

"I did this in the castle, before we heard of the attack on Hogsmeade. I only aggravated it by stabbing a Dementor in the skull with my blade."

"How did you do that in the castle?" Ginny asked.

"Harry fell on me." Daphne said with a smirk.

"I think this is something we are too young to hear." Ginny said, blushing brightly.

"Now that you mention it." Daphne said, grinning broadly.

"No, no, no." Astoria said, covering her ears.

Luna seemed quite pleased with the joke and smiled.

Daphne laughed, and covered her mouth with her good hand.

A woman in the robes of a St. Mungos' healer was walking by, the noise made her turn to look and she froze, almost dropping the infant she was carrying in the crook of her arm.

"You're William's d—" she said pointing at Ginny.

Daphne muted the woman with a quick flash of her wand. "Ginny, the child." She ordered, all humor gone. Her magic flared, several people in the infirmary cried out in surprise as it washed over them. At the end of the Infirmary, Fawkes let out a startled honk as her magic flooded this place of healing with potential violence.

While the woman seemed shocked to be muted, Ginny hurried to her.

"Kreacher!" Daphne called, and was answered a moment later by the elf standing on the bed between her legs.

"Lady?" He seemed equally angry, matching his mistress, though his back was to her as he was poised to defend her.

"I need Lord Potter and his Consort here immediately."

The elf vanished with a loud pop without saying another word.

"You," Daphne said, flicking her wand at the healer. "Come here. Now!"

The healer seemed confounded. She meekly handed her child to Ginny, who cooed over it.

The woman was mouthing something, but Daphne had to turn her attention to the others who appeared at the open curtain behind Ginny.

"What's going on here?" Poppy Pomfrey asked.

"This is House Potter business. Step back until its Lord arrives." Daphne said loud enough to be heard in the hallway through the closed door.

Her wand was poised, ready to strike at anyone who looked threatening. Astoria and Luna had both drawn their wands to support Daphne.

"Miss Greengrass?" Madam Pomfrey said in a placating tone, holding both of her empty hands up.

"Take the child." She ordered.

Another of the St. Mungos healers, an older man, came forward to Ginny and accepted the infant. He walked backwards without saying a word, though his eyes met those of the muted healer.

"I apologize Madam." Daphne said. "This woman nearly blurted a secret that Headmaster Dumbledore, in his position as Chief Warlock, declared. Lord Potter must know of this and I must contain it until he arrives."

"Oh." Several people said, Wizengamot business was serious stuff.

Ginny paled, finally realizing what had almost been said aloud in the crowded room.

"Ginny, sit with us." Astoria said, gesturing with both hands for her friend to join them.

"We shall wait just over there, then." Madam Pomfrey said, ushering the others back.

"Conjure a stool and sit." Daphne told the woman firmly. "I know not how you learned this, but Lord Potter will decide what to do about it."

The woman was pale and trembling, clearly unable to use her wand.

Luna shifted her own stool to the woman and stood in front of Ginny instead.

"Should we send an elf for Lord Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"My elf is fetching them." Daphne said, still cold and ready to hex anyone.

The entire infirmary was full of tension, even Fawkes seemed to understand the seriousness of it and remained silent. Several of the St. Mungos' healers went to move back to their duties, but froze when Daphne's wand oriented on them.

It was just a minute later that the door flew open, with Harry's shoulder planted against it Hermione on his heels. They took in the situation in an instant, both moving to point their wands at the healers.

Pansy ran in just as the door stopped opening and shut it with a loud boom.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, trying to get her breathing under control.

"This woman." Daphne said, pointing to the trembling woman perched precariously on Luna's stool. "Knows a Potter family secret. She nearly blurted it out for everyone to hear." The scorn in her voice made the woman close her eyes and cringe.

"Madam Pomfrey, is there a secure room we can speak with this healer?" Hermione asked, her voice completely calm, in contrast to their blonde lover's.

"You may use my office, though, I do not recommend Miss Greengrass move from her bed."

Harry moved quickly to Daphne's left side, and forced her to look into his eyes for a moment.

She slowly nodded and accepted a gentle hug from him before her wand vanished with a practiced flick of her wrist. The tension slowly ebbed out of her as she reigned in her magic.

"That's alright ma'am." Hermione said. "Mrs., would you join us? I can promise you we're not going to harm you. And Daphne wouldn't have done more than stun you if needed."

"I've muted her." Daphne said, in a far calmer tone of voice.

"Astoria dear." Harry called, gesturing to Daphne's right side.

Daphne's younger sister gently climbed onto the bed and sat beside Daphne, taking her right hand in both of hers before placing them all in her lap. The healers may have thought that the girl would prevent her elder sibling from using her wand, but Astoria knew her sister and would release the hand at the first sign Daphne needed her wand.

Luna moved to the chair Susan had used when sharing dinner with Daphne, which also gave her the table Kreacher had summoned to write on. She pulled her parchment and supplies from her bag.

"Ginny, come with us." Harry said, taking her elbow as he reached her.

"My Lord." Ginny said, though her voice was barely audible.

"Miss." Hermione repeated, now standing near the woman. She was trying not to be threatening, using a soft tone and not drawing her wand.

Though she was clearly uncomfortable, the woman gave a quick nod and dried the tears on her cheeks before following Hermione into the healers office.

Pansy stepped back to the Infirmary doors and undid the locking charm she'd placed on them to prevent anyone else from entering.

"I apologize if I scared anyone." Daphne said when the office door closed on the four of them. "I could not take any chance that others heard her. I suspect she will take an oath to My Lord Potter, and this will be resolved peacefully."

"What would you like the press release to focus on?" Luna asked, gently nudging the focus to something a bit less stressful.

Daphne blinked, twice, before turning to look at Luna over her sister's head. "I've been thinking about that."

}-{

Harry went straight to the chair behind the healers desk. He was sweating and trying to control his breathing. Ginny moved to stand at his shoulder while the woman sat in one of the guest chairs.

Hermione cast several silencing and warding charms around the room, followed by a pair of detection spells. "Alright."

He un-muted the woman, she said, "Sorry," very softly and waited.

"Let's start with names. I'm Harry Potter, this is my Consort, Hermione, and our Ward, Ginevra. What is your name?"

"Healer Grace McFarra."

"How do you know?" Ginny said. "Dumbledore made it a secret. Only I am supposed to be able to speak it."

"Oh." She said. "I didn't know that."

"Tea?" Hermione asked, quickly pouring from the ever-ready set in the corner of the room. "I think we all need to calm down a bit."

"Yes, thank you." Healer McFarra said.

Tea was passed around and they each took several sips before Harry broke the silence.

"Healer, I'd like to apologize for my betrothed." When the woman looked at Hermione in confusion he shook his head. "No, Daphne." He added a gesture out into the main infirmary. "I am also Heir Black, Daphne is my betrothed for that house."

"Oh." She said, still looking curiously at Hermione.

"Healer McFarra, I have no issues with Lord Potter's relationship with his Lady Black. And I believe she has none with mine as Consort Potter."

"Oh. Sorry, it's none of my business. I'm a bit shocked still I guess."

They let her finish her tea and compose herself. "I'm one of two mind healers approved and certified by Gringotts. I've been working on repairing William's mind for several weeks now."

"Ahh." Harry said. Ginny gripped his shoulder tightly, his free hand reached up and patted it gently.

"How is Bill?" Hermione asked, leaning against the edge of the desk, trying to provide a relaxed presence.

"He was awake and talking to his brother Charlie, when the emergency call came in about the attack. I've been here all afternoon."

Ginny nearly fainted, but instead her grip tightened on Harry's shoulder and she let out a huge sob of relief.

Harry spun the chair, pulled the girl into his lap and held her tightly as she shivered and tried to gain control of herself again. "We'll go see him tomorrow. I need you to send an owl to Charlie, so he's there as well. Just after lunch, say one?" He told her.

Ginny nodded, unable to talk.

"I believe the safest thing here is an unbreakable vow, which you will make to Ginevra and Lord Potter will be the binder." Hermione said. "Will that work around your Healers vows and the ones you've made to Gringotts?"

Healer McFarra nodded slowly.

"Does anyone else know?" Harry asked over Ginny's ginger tresses.

"Both brothers, Charlie and William, and one of the other healers, Chester Johnson. Chester was working on the initial trauma when I discovered it. I think he's the one who reported it to the Aurors."

"Is Healer Johnson here? The Aurors were present when Dumbledore made it a secret." Hermione asked.

The woman nodded. "He's the one with my baby."

"You have a baby here?" Harry asked.

"Yes." She said and rubbed her teary eyes again. "Recognizing your Ward shocked me so, that I almost dropped her. Ginevra here took her at first, but Chester has her now."

"We're very sorry for that." Harry said. "But we've got to protect our Ward. Dumbledore made this a secret in the Wizengamot and bound everyone there so only when she's ready, can Ginny make this known."

"Yes, yes. That makes sense. Can we do the vow? I need to feed my baby soon." The woman said, with a hand lightly on her chest.

"Sure." Hermione said.

}-{

"Do you really think we should tell people that Dementors can be destroyed, and doing so frees the recently taken souls?" Astoria whispered.

Luna shrugged, writing what Daphne had dictated so far in her best hand.

Pansy had moved to sit in a conjured chair at the foot of Daphne's bed, casting a privacy spell when Daphne had begun dictating the press release. She'd remained mostly silent since.

"I believe it is important to show how potent the Artifacts of Light are. Aunt M's staff was able to freeze them and I think they were disintegrating. We didn't wait long enough to see what happened. That's when I tried stabbing one in the skull with my Mogness blade, using my left arm, thus my need to be here tonight. Harry took over with Hope after that. The one I stabbed, died or whatever you want to call it. In Harry's hands, Hope did the same as my Mogness blade."

"I think this is excellent." Luna said. "So many are terrified of Dementors. Only the Patronus, which is difficult to master, has any effect on them, and it still doesn't destroy them."

"But won't the criminals stop fearing prison?" Astoria asked.

"The prison is gone." Daphne said. "We can't use that building anymore, it will have to be rebuilt from scratch, and all the Dementors have sided with Voldemort."

Astoria shivered at the name, but nodded a moment later.

"So we're helping remove fear of one of The Dark Lord's creatures." Luna said with a happy smile, continuing to write carefully on her parchment.

"Have you caught up with me yet Luna?"

"Nearly."

"Tell me when you're ready for the next paragraph."

Luna nodded, one of her radish earrings bobbing against her cheek.

The door to Healer Pomfrey's office opened and Hermione stepped out. "Healer Johnson could you join us please? And can you bring Grace's baby?"

The man stood, baby cradled in his arms, and walked into the room.

Hermione shared a quick look with Daphne, both young women nodded and Hermione went back into the healers office, closing the door.

"I'm ready." Luna said.

"Don't write this bit yet." Daphne said and waited for Luna to look up from the parchment. "The only other topic I wanted to discuss was that the majority of those in Death Eater garb, were in fact hired mercenaries."

"Oh, I hadn't heard that." Luna said. "So they're fighting for money."

"And not the ideals The Dark Lord supports." Pansy said. "The ones that we fought were English. In fact…"

"What?" Daphne asked, her left eyebrow rising.

Pansy swallowed hard. "The two that met Nott, whom I assume Nott had been coordinating with to kidnap Astoria, were my father and uncle."

Astoria went pale at the reminder of her terrifying afternoon.

Daphne scowled, looking hard at Pansy who bore the inspection without flinching.

"I recognized their voices. Both were marked followers." Pansy said. "Jasper and Tracey killed them, while I was sneaking Astoria away."

Daphne maintained her intense inspection of the Slytherin girl for nearly a minute before giving her a sharp nod. "So we had a few true followers, perhaps coordinating the whole attack, but the brunt of it was hired help."

Pansy nodded, relaxing more into the chair.

"Alright, Luna, you can write this." Daphne said. "The majority of those perpetrating the attack on school children were Germanic hirelings. Though they wore the appropriate garb to symbolize their support of The Dark Lord, they were in fact working for gold.

Few of those dressed in Death Eater regalia were actually followers. Two of them, Lord Parkinson and his brother, were slain while attempting to kidnap Astoria Greengrass.

The youngest daughter of the Greengrass clan was rescued and is safe within Hogwarts castle, though her would-be-kidnapper, Theodore Nott, died along with his Death Eater accomplices."

Healer Pomfrey's door opened and everyone came out, Healer McFarra went to an alcove with her baby and began feeding her. The older healer went back to his duties while Harry, Hermione, and Ginny passed through Pansy's privacy spell around Daphne's hospital bed. The fact that Ginny was smiling broadly told them the outcome.

"Bill's awake." The ginger said in a hushed whisper as she stopped at Luna's side.

}-{

Marlene had wanted to just collapse into Harry's arms in their suite, but once again was forced by duty to perform other tasks. Released by one boss, Madam Bones, she now had responsibilities to the school, and its students, to contend with. So she met with Minerva, went over the lists of students with her, and filled in what blanks she could.

Fortunately she wasn't the Head of any house, so didn't need to go over rolls to see which were missing. Though she had pointed out those students she knew were back in the castle.

Now she was soaking in her tub, the one in her actual suite, and using her skills in Occlumency to go over the entire day and analyze it. They had learned new things about the Artifacts of Light, the fact that the Spear's Light actually froze, and disintegrated Dementors, was astounding. Though it seemed too slow a process to really work alone to destroy them. She should be able to maintain the Light for the hour it might need to destroy them.

Fortunately, Hope was much swifter at the task, and with them held in place by her Light, the whole thing was very low risk.

Then when they'd reached the top of that stairwell, discovered the four who had lost their souls, only to see the golden orbs float back into them… Simply astonishing. Though she was certain those affected would need some medical help, they could continue their lives.

"Thank Merlin for Pansy Parkinson." She spoke aloud. The girl had prevented herself and Astoria from losing their own souls, by simply denying the Dementors access to their mouths. Such an easy solution, but one not many would have thought of, or been able to pull off under the stress and debilitating effect of the demons.

Now, just how had they arrived at Hogsmeade before the Headmaster? He had traveled via Phoenix, immediately after hearing of the attack. Yet they had been there for two or three minutes before he arrived.

It had to be caused by the method they had used to travel. Somehow the door Hermione had summoned from the Room of Hidden Things had done the trick.

She really needed to understand that room a bit more. What was the trick for creating what you wished? They'd mentioned it to her on several occasions, but no one had spelled out the specific instructions.

Marlene made a mental note to discuss it with the brilliant brunette.

A wandless charm showed her she'd been soaking for an hour. With a sigh she pulled the plug on the tub and began drying herself off. A few flicks of her wand made sure she was still hairless in the correct places, she hoped Harry had a lot of energy tonight.

Donning her silk robe she picked up The Spear from the corner and moved to her bedroom. There she was surprised to see a letter on her bed. No owls could reach this room, so it had to be delivered by an elf.

Always cautious about unknown objects, she scanned it for curses, there was a compulsion charm on it to read it, but nothing else. The handwriting was not quite as familiar as it once was, but her sister's script was still recognizable.

She dispelled the compulsion and then, with The Spear resting in the crook of her arm, sat on the end of the bed to read it.

 _Sister,_

 _We've received word from Lord Potter, that an attempt was made to kidnap Astoria today. An attempt that was thwarted by Pansy Parkinson. Malcolm and I will arrive about eight this evening to visit with our children and assure ourselves of their safety._

 _Lord Potter also asks that Malcolm purchase Miss Parkinson's contract away from Lord Malfoy. We wish to speak with the young lady as well._

 _Meet us at the gates to facilitate our swift entrance._

 _Celeste_

With a sigh she stripped off her robe. She only had about thirty minutes to reach the main gates. Once dressed she summoned an elf.

"Professor?"

"Thank you. Where are Harry Potter, Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson?"

"They be in the infirmary talking round Lady Black's bed."

"What?"

The elf blinked its large eyes twice. "Lady Black be hurting her arm."

"Oh. Take this to Lord Potter please and tell them all to wait there for me." She then handed the elf her sister's letter, which would explain everything quicker than she could write a new message.

"Yes Professor." The elf said and popped away.

With less than fifteen minutes, to make a twenty minute walk, Marlene hurried from her suite.

}-{

Though it was dark as she made her way down the path, The Spear provided plenty of light for her to see, and for others to observe her progress. Her sister and brother-in-law were waiting beside the gate. They had both dressed to impress in fine Acromantula silk robes. She'd only passed two people on her way down, but there was a large Auror presence, restricting access to the school.

"Marlene!" Celeste called, waving her hand over her head.

She lifted The Spear to show her older sister she'd seen them and addressed the Auror guards. "I'm here to escort my sister and her husband to visit their children."

"Lady McKinnon." The man said and gave her a quick bow.

The Greengrasses walked arm-in-arm through the ancient gates of the school. Malcolm was scowling, while Celeste seemed to be trying to project false-cheer.

Once they were well away from the guards Malcom spoke. "What in Merlin's name is going on?" He didn't seem comfortable around The Spear, it likely made him remember his terrible behavior towards his elder daughter, or only he knew what else.

"Apparently the Dark Lord was working with both Nott and Parkinson to abduct Astoria."

"Merlin!" Celeste said, clutching her fist to her chest.

"Why?" Malcolm asked.

Marlene shrugged. "Those who perpetrated, and organized it, appear to be dead. My guess is to force you to vote with them and provide funding, Malfoy is nearly bankrupt."

Malcolm nodded. "And I would have no choice, our line lives or dies with her."

"What can you tell us about Miss Parkinson?" Celeste asked after another minute of walking. "Could she be fooling us?"

"No. In my class, I placed her on a team with Lord Potter, Daphne and Consort Potter. Deliberately separating her from Malfoy and the other Dark families. She's thrived with them."

"How did she save Astoria?"

"Well, the first time she snuck up, disillusioned and levitated her away from her father and uncle, while they were fighting with Miss Davis and her boyfriend. The second time was from Dementors."

"Merlin." Celeste repeated her earlier curse.

"How?" Malcolm choked out through a thick throat.

"Not in the way you would think." Marlene said as they approached the castle doors. "She doesn't know the Patronus. Instead she denied the Dementors access to their mouths, by sealing her lips to Astoria's."

"What?" Malcolm asked coming to an abrupt halt.

"She saved Astoria's soul. Do not harp on her method." Marlene said sharply to the stunned man, pushing more of her magic into The Spear. The intensified Light made Malcolm close his eyes for a moment.

"Can I see my children?" Celeste asked in the silence.

Marlene lessened the Light, allowing Malcolm to open her eyes. "Of course. They're in the infirmary. Daphne broke her arm. Nothing life-threatening, I assure you." It was only a small leap of logic, to translate the elf's information about Daphne's arm and relate it to their accident in the Room of Requirement earlier in the day.

"Oh." Celeste said, pulling her husband along as they swiftly traversed the well-known corridors.

Those students who saw them, watched in silence as a Lord and two Ladies of Most Noble and Ancient Houses walked purposefully along.

The Infirmary was clearly full, but peaceful when they entered. The trio paused just inside the doors. Lord Potter was fortunately visible, standing at the foot of a bed on the other side of the room, with Consort Potter at his side and Miss Parkinson sitting on his other side.

Their entrance caused many to turn to look, Lord Potter said something to his companions and a veritable wall of students emerged from the alcove.

"Astoria." Celeste called as she hurried ahead, engulfing her suddenly crying daughter.

Marlene was heartened to see both Ginevra and Luna standing beside her niece. Grateful that they had kept her company after what had happened, and nearly happened, to her today.

"Lord Potter." Malcolm said formally as they approached. He then bowed, his right hand held flat to his chest.

"Lord Greengrass." Harry said, returning the bow, though with his hands at his sides, while Hermione and Pansy curtsied.

"Father." Daphne said from the bed. She was sitting up, but her left arm was encased in a wooden frame.

"Miss Parkinson?" Malcolm asked, looking at Pansy for confirmation. When the pretty girl nodded he bowed yet again. "Thank you for your efforts on behalf of our heir. I acknowledge the debt my line owes you."

"Could everyone step inside the curtains?" Hermione asked. "We've temporarily warded it to prevent others from overhearing our conversation."

"Oh," Malcolm said and moved forward while Marlene gently pushed her sister forward, mother and daughter were lost in their own world at the moment.

Once the large group had moved to surround Daphne's bed on three sides Pansy cleared her throat. "Can you help me?"

Malcolm looked briefly to his wife, found she was putting Astoria back on the ground, and cleared his own throat. "We've only a bare understanding and wished to discuss it with you. Is it alright to do so here?"

"Yes." Pansy said. "Most of those present already know."

"Alright." Malcolm said, again looking to his wife, but her attention was still on Astoria. "You need Line Continuation as well?"

"I do, though am unsure if my line is worth continuing." Pansy said, looking to Lord Potter who nodded. "And I would consider the debt paid if you purchased my contract and then voided it."

"Would that harm you?" Marlene asked.

Pansy shrugged. "It might, I haven't ever read the actual document."

"We'll need to enquire of Gringotts." Malcolm said. "Regardless, even if that is not possible, we should be able to gift the contract to the man of your choice."

Marlene looked sharply at Harry who was stoically keeping his face blank, though his tight hold of Hermione's hand told her far more about his comfort level.

"Father." Daphne said calling everyone's attention to her. "Consort Potter and I have not discussed this, but our intent was to add no further witches to our bed."

"That being said." Harry spoke up. "I will see Miss Parkinson happy and safe. She deserves nothing less."

Pansy looked very relieved by that declaration, though didn't say anything.

"Well." Lord Greengrass said, fidgeting with his robe. "I'll send Gringotts a letter tonight to learn what I can of the contract. Then Celeste and I will discuss it. If she agrees, I shall set a meeting with Malfoy to negotiate. I can make no promises concerning that man. He will need to believe I am as depraved as he."

"Thank you Lord Greengrass." Pansy said after a moment to understand that he was proposing to act as such, since Malfoy would be more likely to accept the offer.

"I shall remind you once of our discussion Malcolm." Marlene said.

The man flinched and nodded. "Ask my daughter if I have slipped? I have not." He said fairly firmly, looking up into the tall woman's eyes.

"Good." Marlene said.

Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to step into the alcove. "Visiting hours are over. I assure you Lord and Lady, that your daughter will recover completely by morning. So long as she actually rests at some point this evening."

"Thank you." Lord Greengrass said and held his hand out to his wife. She planted a kiss on her youngest's head and they stepped towards the exit.

"I'll escort them out." Marlene said. "Lord Potter, would yourself and your Consort escort the younger ladies to their dorms?"

"Yes." Harry said as he stepped closer to his betrothed and leaned over the bed to share a gentle kiss with her.

Daphne took his hand to hold him close a moment. "Aunt M needs you tonight." She whispered so only he could hear.

"Of course." He said with a gentle smile and kissed her once again. "And you'll have your shag tomorrow."

She sighed as Hermione pulled him away.

"Pan, will Astoria be safe in the dorms tonight?" Hermione asked.

"She can bunk with me, if she wants to." Pansy said as they walked into the hallway.

Astoria seemed troubled by that statement for most of the walk up to Ravenclaw tower where Luna bid them goodnight, parting with a brief, but tight hug with the troubled Greengrass Heiress.

Professor Flitwick was sitting in a comfortable chair just inside the common room. He checked Luna off of a list and bid them all good night.

Next they swung by Gryffindor where McGonagall was doing the same. "Don't go wandering about tonight Lord Potter."

"No intention to Ma'am." He said. "Once we escort these ladies to their dorm we'll seal ourselves in our suite."

"Good." McGonagall said.

Ginny whispered something to Astoria as she gave her a hug. The blonde seemed encouraged by whatever it was.

"Astoria." Pansy said while they walked down the grand stairs. "One of the conditions of my contract with Heir Malfoy, is that I cannot participate in any sexual act. Not even upon myself. It's perfectly safe to share my bed."

Astoria was bright pink by the time Pansy was done explaining the situation and simply couldn't talk. Instead she stopped and hugged the older Slytherin girl.

"I'll walk with you to your dorm to gather a change of clothes, then we'll head up to mine. Alright?"

Astoria nodded as they approached the section of blank wall that everyone seemed to know was the entrance to the 'hidden' common room.

"Persimmon." Pansy said and the section of wall vanished.

As they now expected Professor Snape was waiting impatiently just inside the doorway. "Get to your rooms Potter." The man said with his acidic tone, completely ignoring Hermione standing there.

Harry gave the foul teacher an aborted bow. "My Consort and I shall do just that. Now that these ladies are safe. I do hope they are safe in their dorms Professor."

"I've got her." They heard a familiar voice from one of the couches. Tracey Davis quickly stood and stepped to the door, where Astoria seemed torn between her rescuers.

"We've got her." Pansy said, receiving a sharp nod from Tracey.

"Alright. Off with you two." Snape said to the Gryffindors in the hallway and the Common room door slid shut without a sound.

"Dobby?" Harry called as they turned to head back upstairs.

"Great Harry Potter Sir calls! What can Dobby do for Lord Harry Potter-Black and his Consort?" the excited elf said as he appeared.

"Where is Professor McKinnon?" Hermione asked as Harry tried to recover from the over-the-top greetings.

"Light Lady be walking back to the school from the gate!" Dobby said, bouncing on his toes, as though just refraining himself from leaping at Harry.

"Thank you Dobby. You can go back to what you were doing." Harry said.

"Of course Great Harry Potter Sir. Call Dobby if you need anything!"

Harry hurried down the corridor and up to the main entrance as though getting away from where they'd encountered the crazy elf would prevent it from happening again. "I'd forgotten just why I haven't been calling him."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione said and gave his bicep a squeeze.

"Lord Potter, Consort." Marlene said when she entered the great doors of the castle. Other than a shallow smile, she appeared perfectly formal.

Harry gave her a bow and offered his other arm to her. "Might we escort you to your suite, after all it is late, and a beautiful woman should not be out alone."

"Scamp." She whispered to him as she looped her left arm with his.

Nearly filling the hall, the trio made their way up to Marlene's suite. Disregarding their previous decision to always enter their own suite from their own door, Harry and Hermione walked in right after Marlene.

Hermione closed the door as Harry gently spun the tall blonde to face him and boldly claimed her lips.

Though mildly surprised, Marlene reacted immediately to return the kiss.

The brilliant brunette studied them for a moment and realized Marlene was only slightly taller than Harry now, with her heels. He was becoming even more hunky than before. She went and looked in the bedroom, began casting silence and privacy spells on all the surfaces before nodding and heading back to the couple.

"Alright, into the bedroom with you two." She said, gently guiding them in that direction.

Marlene nearly handed Hermione The Spear, but the brunette pushed it back towards her with her forearm. Daphne may be able to safely carry it, being of McKinnon blood, but Hermione was not about to tempt fate, not when she was so entwined with Harry.

The kissing quickly turned to clothing removal. Harry was slowly grinding his hard cock against Marlene, one hand trying to unbuckle his belt while the other refused to release its hold on the woman's hair.

Hermione put her hand around Marlene's on The Spear, and guided her to lean it against the wardrobe. Only once it looked stable, did she prompt the woman to open her hand. Said hand was quickly freed and pulled back through outer and inner robes, then blouse. Marlene had not worn a bra.

Giving up on guiding them she took out her wand and banished their remaining clothes to the foot of the bed.

Harry gave her an appreciative grunt and picked up the tall woman, who wrapped her long legs around his waist, to crawl on the bed with her in his arms. He lay her down gently, her legs loosened and he slipped from kissing her mouth to her cheek and then elegant neck.

They were joined by a nude Hermione a moment later. She kissed the blonde's shoulder, then followed it to the opposite side of her neck than Harry, with one hand pushing him gently down, she proceeded up to claim Lady McKinnon's luscious lips with her own.

When Harry realized Hermione also had a firm grip on a magnificent breast, his cock twitched. Damn he loved his women! Unable to prevent himself, he suckled from the breast below him, such things were simply impossible to avoid.

Marlene moaned, unable to articulate with her mouth entwined with Hermione's. She had one hand on the back of the brunette's head, while the other had claimed one of the girl's dangling breasts.

With a grunt, Harry pulled free of the nipple, leaving it hard and wet, to continue trailing kisses down the taught skin, he paused over her stomach, kissed a circle where he imagined his child was growing, and proceeded between the wide-spread legs to her core.

He inhaled deeply, this scent would forever entice him. She shuddered with a small climax when he kissed the tender spot where her left leg joined her pelvis. Gods he loved how smooth she was.

His hands slid down her legs, pulling them upwards as he did, twisting her core up so it met his mouth. Kissing her nub, he moved down, trailing light kisses along the lips before gently sucking each lip into his mouth and treating it like he had her nipple a moment ago.

She groaned, humping her pelvis against his chin.

Harry pushed her thighs down to the bed firmly, she complied without protest as he slowly raked his tongue from her puckered rose-bud to her nub, dragging it deeply inside the hot furnace as he did so.

Suckling on the nub, treating it as roughly as he dared, caused her to shove up hard into him, uttering muffled scream as she came.

Hermione shifted, her leg passing over his head. Then she slid directly atop the Hit Witch, hooking her thighs under her companion's knees.

Harry had to pull back as he was caught between them.

Suddenly before him was one of the wonders of the world. Two bare cunts, grinding against one another and dripping honey.

That was all he could stand. He sat up, lifting them both so he could fit his knees with theirs and rub his cock against Hermione's ass.

She squirmed, he did want to claim her ass, but Daphne's words came to mind. Instead he moved lower, grasping the base of his shaft and used his head to rub up and down between the two cunts. Thrusting forward slightly to push between their clits.

They were utterly flooding the sheets with their juice as he began to push into Marlene. He got his shaft half-way inside before pulling out and shifting to Hermione and doing the same.

He wasn't sure how long he could do this, but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.

Plunging completely inside Marlene, he grabbed Hermione's hips firmly. Using them he began to fuck Marlene. This caused Hermione's clit to be dragged back over Marlene's and then shoved forward as he stroked in and out. Neither girl could last long under this delectable torture.

The girls both began convulsing, he kept moving. They were no longer kissing, too busy gulping air and crying out, to manage that.

"Fuck Harry." Hermione managed to gasp out.

"I'm fucking Lene." He chuckled.

She freed a hand and swatted in his general direction.

He grabbed it, and her other wrist, placing them in the small of her back, he pressed some of his weight down on her and kept fucking Marlene.

The blonde, freed her hands and held Hermione's face over hers so they could kiss once again.

Ten minutes later he pulled completely out of Marlene and plunged into Hermione's cunt. She grunted in surprise, but her mouth never parted from Marlene's.

Both girls seemed to still be hovering at their peaks, each twitching occasionally as another climax raked through them.

When he felt himself getting close, Harry shifted back to Marlene's cunt, released Hermione's wrists, and grabbed her hips once again.

Their pile became a bit frantic after that as he moved faster. His weight now over their combined hips, added further pressure to where their mounds were mashed together.

He grunted, cock frantically slamming into the sopping wet cunt as the girls screamed into one-another's mouths. His cum shot inside Marlene. "Wow." Came from his mouth.

Neither girl responded, too busy gasping for breath.

Harry couldn't lay on them easily, but he didn't want to pull out just yet. So he released Hermione's hips and plunged three fingers into her cunt. She was so wet he slid up to the webbing between his fingers in an instant.

Her head popped up, twisting around to look at him.

He ignored her to fish around inside her, completely coating his digits in her juice. He pulled them out, dripping a stream directly upwards, coating her ass, then pushed his middle finger inside, right up to his second knuckle, in a single thrust.

"Oh." She said, eyes rolling back in her head.

Marlene's hands came down to roughly grip Hermione's ass cheeks and pull them apart for him.

"Mmmm." He moaned, pulling his middle finger out, only to shove his index finger inside along with it. After rooting around for a moment, twisting his wrist as well, he added his ring finger to the tight hole.

"Just about ready I think." He said to himself.

The girls were not paying him any attention though. They were once again kissing.

Finally pulling his still hard cock from Marlene, he pressed the head into Hermione's ass. She groaned, Marlene still held her cheeks firmly, long nails digging into the soft flesh.

Harry leaned forward, pushing his cock half-way inside before slipping out a little and ramming himself forward, fully entering his first friend's ass.

She squeaked, her pelvis pushing down, but she was already pressed firmly against Marlene so it only served to grind their clits together even harder.

"There we go." He said, staring at where his cock vanished into her ass. He hadn't been able to look at Daphne when he was fucking her ass. Just the sight of it made his cock throb. With his hands on her lower back, he started fucking Hermione. He did start slowly, only pulling out an inch or so, before plunging back inside.

He was soon unable to control himself, pulling most of his cock free, before shoving it completely back inside. He watched it appear and vanish, slowly he lost the ability to moderate himself.

Nearly lifting himself from the bed, he pulled out, and slammed back into her ass. He ignored everything but the sensation coming from his cock.

With a roar he came so hard his vision went white.

Hermione's whimpering brought him back to reality. He'd collapsed onto her, cheek pressed into her back. The three of them were coated in sweat, the space between their legs, a thick slurry of cum and juice.

He sat up, realizing his cock was still buried in her ass, and tried to pull out. It didn't want to move.

"Ow." She whimpered again.

"Um." He said.

"Numb her ass first." Marlene said.

"Oh." He said, slipping his wand from the holster on his arm. Once he cast the spell he pulled back harder, this time he was able to get his swollen cock free. Without thinking too much about it, he cast several cleaning charms, first on the gaping red ass of his first friend, then his cock and the slurry coating the bed.

Once he put his wand away he helped Hermione roll over to lie beside Marlene on the bed. Their cunts were bright red, probably a bit raw if he was honest with himself.

"Sorry, I got too rough there." He said.

"Just heal us Love." Marlene said, waving her hand at their cunts.

"Oh, yeah." He said, drawing his wand once again to gently cast the healing charm until their mounds looked normal. He repeated the spell on Hermione's ass a few more times before she sighed in relief.

The three of them were asleep in moments.

}-{


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Remus Lupin was in a quandary. Life in France was so much better than everything he had experienced in England. "Slower." He ordered Narcissa. "Make it last."

His slave complied, slowing her suckling of his cock and lessening the pressure she was applying. She wasn't in very good condition after their night out, which is what was making him debate ever returning to the country he'd been born in. She hadn't been beaten, but a Master/Slave club, where many of the participants were Werewolves, was always going to be rougher on the non-Lycans.

He'd met several influential men there, who were werewolves, just like him. The only difference had been that in France, and many of the countries of Europe, they were actively supported instead of persecuted.

The real surprise had been Rangnil, Sirius' Barrister, she was not only Master of a male slave, but a werewolf herself.

They had spent nearly two hours trying to one-up the other, having their slaves participate in a competition. Narcissa had won, hands down, as the poor boy had passed out and not even an over-powered enervate would wake him.

Rangnil had then invited him to move into her place, with his slaves, in the Netherlands. She was certain she could get him a job, perhaps even formally training sex slaves.

He decided to think on it and perhaps discuss it with Sirius, he was after-all currently dependent upon Lord Black for his ability to keep his slaves.

"Alright Cissy, finish me off and you can sleep for a few hours.

A low-pitched groan was her response, but her tongue went to work and she began popping him completely down her throat.

He exploded a minute later, deep in her gullet.

When she pulled off of him, he manhandled her into the bed. She was tucked into his larger frame, her head just under his strong chin. He drifted off to sleep, with a possessive hand firmly holding one of her bruised tits.

Narcissa was exhausted from nearly ten hours of sex. Yet the eroticism of the whole experience had been intoxicating. Though the night had its moments of pain, she couldn't deny that her body had been pushed to new heights of pleasure. She had always hated Lucius' effeminate ways, the sheer masculinity of her master fulfilled a need she'd had all her life.

}-{

The healers in Mad-Eye's room at St. Mungos were screaming and shoving one another to get out of the room as fast as they could.

Amelia stopped one of them about twenty feet down the hall. "What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"He woke up and started hexing us!" The man said and wrenched his arm out of her hand to run after his companions.

"Of course he did you idiot." She said to him and shook her head.

A spell blasted a ten-foot diameter hole in the wall near the door of Moody's room.

"Alastor!" Amelia yelled in her most commanding voice.

"Prove it." Came the reply.

Since she'd known the man for over twenty years, this was precisely what she'd expected. "I made the enchanter disable that eye's ability to see under clothes."

"Damned stupid idea." Alastor said. "What happened?" He asked in a far gentler voice.

"I'm coming in." Amelia announced as she drew closer so she could see through the hole he'd made in the wall, though she didn't actually step into the room, "You lead a team to Hogsmeade to stop an attack. You were overwhelmed by Dementors."

That statement seemed to cause the man to deflate, he sat heavily on the end of the bed. "How many did we lose?"

"Nine of those who went with you, sixteen others who were patrolling in the village. Including the Hit Wizard. The attack was stopped by Dumbledore, McKinnon, Norwood and her team. Most of the attackers were Germanic Mercenaries." She stepped over the remains of the wall and into the room.

"It sounds like a damned ambush that's really going to hurt us for years." Moody said, flicking his wand to clean up the debris and repair the wall.

She didn't respond, except to nod at the Master Auror's words.

"Well, find me the people and I'll train them up." He said, getting to his feet. "I've got work to do, see you at the office."

And Moody stomped his way out of the hospital as she knew he would. Stupid healers, if they'd wanted to actually treat the man they should have at least stunned him.

With a shake of her head she walked to check on her other Aurors.

}-{

Nymphadora woke in the dark. She lay utterly still, trying to hear the Death Eaters who might be near her. When the only sounds were distant talking, she tried to get her breathing under control. She'd been rescued from the Death Eaters by Harry Potter hadn't she?

Maybe they came back, unwilling to give up on having a metamorph sex toy. Her panic rose once again and she squealed when the door suddenly opened, flooding the room with light.

"Hold on their Auror Tonks." Madam Bones voice barked out, loud enough to penetrate her shock. "Stand down." Amelia added, in a far calmer voice.

"Ma'am." Nymphadora said, suddenly shaking on the bed.

Several others were crowding behind Madam Bones, but she kept blocking the broad door until she was certain her Auror was not going to fly off the handle.

"Auror Tonks. What is the last thing you remember?" Madam Bones asked.

"Being kidnaped by Death Eaters, but Lord Potter, and his Ladies stopped them didn't they?"

"Yes, they did. That was several days ago, when I was injured." She said, showing Nymphadora her bandaged wand hand.

"Um, what's happened since?" Nymphadora asked. "Oh, Merlin, I've gone crazy."

"Miss Tonks," one of the healers said to get her attention. "Please try to relax, you are in no danger here."

Nymphadora nodded her head several times and did try to regain control of her breathing and had some success.

"There, now can you drink this dreamless sleep draught?"

Only after her boss gave her a nod, did Nymphadora accept the vial from the healer. Once it had taken affect, Amelia addressed the healers.

"What's wrong with my Auror?"

"Deep trauma." One of them said, looking through a chart. "She's repeatedly been placed in great danger, and just escaped with her life. I think they've all happened far too close together."

"But Moody is fine?" Amelia asked.

One of the other healers scoffed. "I'd not call that man fine or normal. But unchanged by the most recent attack? Yes, that's likely. But he isn't a 22 year old female. Recall one of her recent trauma's included an attempted kidnapping, because of her morphing ability."

"Yes, I see the difference." Amelia said. "What can we do for her?"

"She's going to need a competent mind healer for a while. And must be removed from active duty."

"Alright, I'll call her mother in and discuss it with her." Amelia said.

}-{

"Padma, darling?" her mother said softly, waking the injured Ravenclaw.

"Mum?"

"Morning darling. Can you squeeze my hand?"

Padma was still waking, and didn't quite remember what had happened, but squeezed her mother's hand as she'd requested.

"Good." Her mother said, with a strange, watery texture. "Now lift your foot."

Padma again did what she was told and her mother collapsed over her, sobbing. "What?" she asked as she hugged her mother.

"Oh, Pad." Her twin said, suddenly joining them on the small bed.

"What are you two doing?" Padma asked, still rather confused as to just where she was or what was going on.

"You're not paralyzed." Parvati said, a bit too loud, into her left ear.

"Why would I be?"

Their mother pulled back, sitting up to look at her twin daughters. "Do you remember the attack in Hogsmeade, you were on a date with Mr. Longbottom."

"Yeah," Padma said, nodding her head, which for some reason set her sister off and she started crying with her head on their shared pillow.

"You got hit by the willow." Parvati said, fortunately much softer than she'd spoken before.

"Dementors!" Padma said, struggling to sit up against.

"Shh," Mother said gently, pressing her back on the bed. "They're not here, we're in St. Mungos. You're safe now."

"Good." Padma said. "Where's my boyfriend?"

"Well." Her mother said, looking a bit confused herself. "I don't remember you telling us the date had progressed any further than a date."

"Mother, if I nearly die to save a boy, he better be my boyfriend at least."

Parvati and their mother both smiled and laughed lightly. "Alright darling. He should be released from the Infirmary at school this morning."

"Good, when do I get out of here?" Padma said, grabbing her twin's hand. "My sister and I need to talk to him."

"You remembered." Parvati said happily.

"Of course I did. I'm the smart one, remember?"

They both laughed along with her once again. "As to when you can leave." Mother said. "We've got to talk to the healers. But you're moving, so it shouldn't be too long."

"Where in the world are my clothes?" Padma suddenly asked, realizing she was in a horrible hospital gown.

"I've got some for you to change into when they let you go." Her twin said.

Padma relaxed, back into the hard bed. "Go get them mum, we need to get out of here."

}-{

"Ted?" Andromeda asked, walking into her husband's home office. He was reading through the day's Prophet, and had several others from Europe scattered on his desk.

"Hmm?" He hummed, not looking up from the paper. "Nym came home looking for you earlier. She's on medical leave, Director Bones talked to me about it before she got here. She's been traumatized and needs to heal. Can you be here for her?"

"Of course." Andromeda said.

He finally looked up, eyes hidden under heavy brows. "She went to collect some of her things from her flat before she moves back into her old room."

She nodded.

"Did you know Sirius Black was innocent?" He asked, suddenly shifting topics on her.

"That's where I've been." She said, feeling a bit nervous suddenly.

His eyes were troubled.

"He's also Lord Black." She said, her voice trembling as he stared intently at her. "I was summoned. He's reinstated us to the family and I need to have more children."

He still seemed troubled and unresponsive.

"Can you help me?"

"Dromeda." He said, putting the paper down. His feet hit the floor with a thump as he sat up.

"Sir." She said meekly, not looking him in the eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me where you were?"

"Didn't think you would care." She said honestly. Since Nymphadora had moved out they'd both begun to experiment sexually with other partners. Sometimes living apart for weeks at a time. She certainly hadn't been the only one having sex with people she hardly knew.

He let out a huff and leaned back in his chair. "Sit down Dromeda. Let's talk about this."

Andromeda let out a relieved sigh and sat in one of the two guest chairs.

"Tell me about Sirius."

She thought for a bit before speaking. "He's been in a lot of therapy, and seen a few healers, including me. Azkaban damaged his mind, but he's improved dramatically over the last few months. He was required by the Court to be evaluated and is on a program they've specified. That being said, he's ended Cissy and Bella's marriage. Both of them are in France with him. Cissy's pregnant. He wants us to have more children so the family doesn't die out."

He looked at his wife of nearly twenty years, sorting through all of that information. "You're disturbed by this aren't you?"

She nodded. "I was sure he was guilty. How could I be so wrong? He was the only one who supported me when I chose to marry you."

Ted nodded, remembering the young care-free man who had gone against the traditions of his dark family to stand with the light.

Andromeda was silently weeping.

"We've tried all of the magical treatments, none of them worked after Nym was born. We can try the non-magical options." Ted said and noticed his wife immediately perked up.

}-{

The next morning was one of their traditional days to run, so Harry and Hermione were up early, while Marlene headed down to her own suite to prep for the day. She wasn't teaching, but there was always a staff meeting to attend.

When they reached the castle doors, they were surprised to find that Pansy and Susan were not waiting alone. With them were Ginny, Astoria, Luna and Tracey.

"Um." Harry articulated.

Hermione went straight to Tracey and hugged her. She then looped her arm in Tracey's and started walking towards the pitch. Everyone else followed the two whispering girls.

He wasn't sure what that was about, until Harry two spoke up in his head. _Probably making sure Miss Davis has that spell on her breasts before the run. You know, the one that seems to make them bounce in slow motion so running doesn't stretch them out or cause them pain._

 _Oh._ Harry one thought to himself, then tried to think of something to prevent himself from growing hard in his running shorts. He found himself walking at the back with Susan and Pansy, the younger girls ahead of them. "Any word from the Infirmary?" He asked Susan.

She shook her head. "I haven't gone to check yet. I was planning on going after breakfast."

Harry nodded, suddenly lost in thought about all of those injured in the battle of Hogsmeade. This was just the first major battle, there would certainly be others. Though he felt grateful to whatever powers were out there that he and his had escaped without serious injury, many others had not fared so well. Including his closest ally, Neville.

"We've got to get better at working together." He said aloud.

"That's what Lady McKinnon is pushing in all of her classes." Pansy said in a broken voice, as though her throat was raw.

"And we've certainly learned a lot from that." Susan said, though she was in a different class from he and Pansy.

"Yes, but we can't count on all of us being together when the next one happens." Harry said.

"Perhaps if we mix up the teams?" Pansy offered, still seeming to struggle to speak.

"What's wrong Pansy?" Harry asked, slowing his pace to increase the privacy of their conversation.

"Sorry." Pansy said, shaking her head as if to shake off the question, and beginning to bunch her hair up into a short ponytail.

"Pansy, I'm trying to help you." Harry said, thinking this must be related to her situation.

She shrugged and finished tying a thin black ribbon around her short hair. "Draco's heard nothing from his father. He doesn't even know if his message reached him, so he's sent it again. This time by owl. I could already be—" She broke off, suppressing a sob.

His heart wasn't able to stand it and his arm pulled her into a side-hug as they walked along the path to the pitch.

"Pan," Susan said in a gentle voice, from his other side. "I'll speak with Neville as soon as I know he's recovered. He and Harry are the same rank, yes Longbottoms don't have as much money as Potters, but they're far from poor. He does have control issues with his Gran though." She ended sourly.

Pansy nodded, folding herself into Harry's chest, forcing him to stop walking and hug her with both arms for a moment.

 _I don't think she's putting on any kind of an act for our sympathy._ Harry two said rather seriously in his head.

 _I've promised. And made Hermione swear it._ Harry one replied to himself as he continued to hug the slim girl.

 _We can't do anything so long as the Malfoy line exists or own her contract. Maybe we should just have our Account Manager offer Malfoy a bunch of money. Didn't Pansy say that he had to accept an offer over a certain amount?_

 _I do kind of remember that. Let's speak to the girls about this first._

 _Your funeral._ Harry two said, ending the conversation.

Harry turned her back to the correct direction and they started walking once again.

The Slytherin girl pulled herself together a moment later and he dropped his arm from her slim waist. She drew her wand and fixed her makeup before straightening her back. "Thank you both." She said. "Just know that I will not willingly go to anyone serving the Dark Lord. If forced to, I shall end myself."

A chill went through him at her words, which were delivered in a flat, dead voice.

"Pan." Susan said, putting a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezing as they arrived at the southern entrance to the pitch.

Hermione turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. He mouthed the word 'later' to her and she nodded before speaking to everyone. "Alright, we're ready to run. Now, the three of you should stay with Trace. We'll be running a bit faster than you until you've done this for a while."

"Sure." Ginny said.

"Do not do more than three trips around the pitch." Harry said, remembering their first time. "Walk around it until we're done with our laps, then we'll walk back to the school together."

"It isn't a race." Susan said. "Stay together and try to keep a steady pace."

"Ok." Luna said and took off at a moderate run, forcing her companions to hurry after her.

"Well." Hermione said and started off at a jog. Harry, Pansy, and Susan joined her. Once the four of them were running together they headed off the usual path and increased their pace as they passed the younger girls and Tracey.

Most of an hour later, Harry and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. He'd told her what had happened at the back of the pack, her only reply was to squeeze his hand and say that the four of them would talk tonight.

Filled with inner turmoil, he didn't really taste his food, and didn't notice anything was going on until Daphne slipped into the small space between himself and Hermione.

She immediately picked up on his mood and hugged him while adding a warm kiss to his surprised lips.

"Daph." He said when they parted, still in shock that she'd been released so soon.

"Like he expected me to stay in there all day?" Daphne said to Hermione as she released Harry and sat properly facing the table.

Hermione gave her a one-armed hug, and barely refrained from kissing her as well, but such wasn't done in public. "How's your hand?"

"Good." She said, picking up Harry's unused knife with her repaired hand, she began spinning and flipping it around so fast it became a silver blur. Clearly she had her usual dexterity back.

Down the table several students looked on in stunned silence at the casual display. At the Slytherin table, Malfoy shivered at the spinning silver, biting his finger as he tried to forget the time she'd cut his tongue off.

Then Daphne picked up Hermione's knife with her right hand and showed that her left hand could keep pace with her right. With a smile she placed both knives back where they belonged. "Now, where's my plate?" she said in a chipper voice.

Harry scrambled to pull the empty plate from his other side over so she could load it up with her favorites, while Hermione provided a filled goblet and silverware. "So how did you escape so quickly?" He asked. "I've never been able to leave her tender mercies before lunch."

"Same way I proved it to you, but with scalpels." Daphne said with a shrug and scooped a poached egg from the serving tray directly into her mouth.

"Daph." Hermione said in a shocked whisper, though Harry wasn't sure if it was from their lover spinning around medical implements, or her disregard of proper etiquette in her eating habits.

Just then the owls arrived and Harry had to first pay for two deliveries of the Daily Prophet and then accept a letter from Hedwig. Hermione and Daphne both subscribed to the paper as they read the sections in a different order and neither was willing to wait for the other to finish, and Harry didn't care to look at it, instead reading only what they specifically showed him.

"Who's the letter from?" Hermione asked as she began working on her paper. The front page was clearly filled with the coverage of the attack.

"Looks like Sirius finally replied." He said softly and slipped it into an inner pocket of his robe for reading in private.

"Hmm." Hermione replied, her attention on her paper.

Daphne was eating left handed while she turned to the political section of the paper.

Finding his own appetite, Harry dug into his now cold food.

"Finally." Daphne said a few minutes later.

"What?" Hermione said, looking over at the blonde's paper.

"They finally printed the results of Sirius' trial, though it's been relegated to page 3 with all the coverage of the attack on Hogsmeade."

"Good." Harry said feeling happier knowing that was finally public.

"It says that the International Tribunal found Minister Bagnold, Bartemius Crouch Senior, and the Wizengamot of the time, circumvented their own laws. There is no record of a criminal trial, much less an actual investigation by the D.M.L.E. They've recommended the ICW sanction Britton until restitution is paid and Lord Black is given a full pardon."

"Wow." Harry said at Daphne's summary. They'd discussed the possibilities of the trial and had actually known he'd been found innocent more than a week ago, since Marlene had been there when it was announced, but it hadn't been in the paper.

}-{

They heard the shouting before they opened the doors to the Infirmary. "What is this I hear of you out with a WOG! I will not stand for this. You are too young to understand, but you simply cannot sully our name in this way. If you were not the very last of this line, I would put you down."

With his hand on the door Harry turned to look at his ladies with a raised eyebrow.

"Wog, is a derogatory term for people from India, like Padma and Parvati. It's like when Malfoy called me a Mudblood." Hermione said, looking down when she forced the last word from her lips.

"What are you on about?" Neville asked, but barreled on before she could answer. "Whom I date and eventually marry is not your concern. I will be Lord Longbottom. It is not your place."

Daphne gave Hermione's shoulder a squeeze.

"Oh, but it certainly is young man. I can block you from getting your Lordship until Frank recovers or dies of old age. He's our Lord, and you cannot take it from him until he's either declared unfit or dies."

Inside, Neville was looking at his Gran, who was pulling off a surprisingly good banshee impression.

"Gran, that young lady saved my life. See this scar? I nearly bled out, there was no one else around to help, and I was unconscious. She healed it, and then got me away from the Dementors, or I would have lost my soul. So shut it. I won't hear it."

With their ears to the door, listening without shame, they just heard her reply.

"Oh, you poor idiot. Your father would be so disappointed in you. Owing your life to a WOG. I'd disown you if I could."

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that now would I? Perhaps if you hadn't hidden in your room when Lestrange and her fellows broke into the house?" They heard a low hiss. "At least then it would have been three on three."

When there was no response, Harry was just about to push the huge door open, it was jerked out of his hand. Neville's Gran ignored the three of them to stomp down the hall, her vulture-topped hat jerking precariously from side to side as she went.

"Guys?"

Neville's voice broke the tableau, the three of them quickly moved to Scion Longbottom's bedside. He looked much healthier, and was red-faced as he tried to contain his anger.

Poppy Pomfrey was standing near her office door, dismantling a ward she'd erected to prevent the argument from disturbing the Headmaster, who remained the only other patient in the Ward.

"Sorry, you had to hear that." Neville said into the awkward silence.

"Nev." Harry said, beginning to recover from his shock. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Neville shrugged. "Unless you can get Lestrange to tell us what she did to my parent's, I doubt it."

"We may not be able to ask her." Daphne said. "But I'm Lady Black. If it's a family spell, I'll find it."

"Perhaps we can ask Andromeda," Hermione said. "If it's something they were teaching all of their daughters, then she might know it as well."

"Or Sirius," Harry added. "Though he left home at sixteen to live with my dad's parents."

Neville nodded and gave them a shallow smile. "Thanks. Have any of you heard if Padma is alright?"

"No," Harry said. "She went to St. Mungos. Susan said they would know today if she was healed."

"Poppy?" Neville said loud enough to catch the Matron's attention.

"Mr. Longbottom?" She said as she walked over.

"I apologize for my Grandmother. That conversation was well overdue, but still should have been in private."

She gave him a nod of approval. "As to your question of Miss Patil. My update from St. Mungos did say she had recovered the ability to move her limbs. She is being kept another day to evaluate her long term prospects."

Neville smiled. "Could I go visit her then?"

"We were going to see Bill Weasley." Harry said. "Ginny wanted to see her brother now that we know he's awake again."

"Well," Poppy said. "None of you are leaving without an escort." She took Harry's left hand, tapped the Consort ring for House McKinnon and released his hand. "Perhaps a certain teacher could be persuaded to perform that duty?" She said and smiled broadly before walking away to check on the Headmaster.

"Core." Neville whispered. "Now I recognize—"

He was cut off by a flick of Daphne's wand. "Scion Longbottom." She said sharply to get his attention. When he seemed calm, she removed the silence spell she'd cast on him.

"My apologies Lord Potter, Heir Black, Consort Potter, Lady Black." Neville said in a formal voice.

"It's alright Nev." Harry said. "I'm not ashamed of it, but we're trying to keep it quiet as long as we can."

"So, when can we go to St. Mungos?" Neville asked, changing the topic.

"We were going to meet with Ginny at Aunt M's office next. Are you ready to go?" Daphne said.

"Yeah."

}-{

Susan was heading to the Infirmary to check on Neville, she'd been distracted in the Great Hall by her friend Hannah and had missed when the others had left. She almost missed Neville's Gran in the main entrance, but recognized her hat in time to call her attention.

When she faced Susan, her expression was not that of a concerned Grandmother, but of a person in a towering rage.

"You! This is all your fault."

"What?"

"You set my poor Neville up to date a Wog!"

"A what?"

"That Indian girl," Dame Longbottom clarified, "Now don't distract me with your ignorance. House Longbottom will never allow such to sully their blood. I've half-a-mind to end this agreement between yourself and my grandson."

"Madam Longbottom!" Susan said loudly, forcing the woman to give her a moment to speak. "I need Line Continuation. That means Neville must first have a spouse. You've made no effort. None! To fill that vacancy, so pardon me for trying!"

"British. Pureblood. None. Other." Each word was clipped off as though she were speaking to an idiot.

"So what about Pansy Parkinson?" Susan had mentioned that possibility to Pansy, and she was certainly in the category the woman specified.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, the woman tore her hat from her head and proceeded to throttle the poor vulture. "Parkinson? I'll drown the little cur with my own bare hands if she comes close to my Neville. They all serve The Dark, and should be put down like the miss-born pups they are!"

The old woman threw the mangled hat on the floor at Susan's feet and strode out the great doors.

Susan stood there stunned, several other students had gathered to hear the loud argument. They slowly slunk away, trying not to draw the ginger's attention.

"Um, is that my Gran's hat?" Neville asked a few minutes later.

"Oh, Nev." Susan said and threw herself into his arms, The Bulwark narrowly missing smashing his nose. Her face was red with tears.

"What happened?" Hermione asked several of the students standing around the entrance. None of them answered her, then she spotted Pansy crying in an alcove and strode over to her. Sitting with the Slytherin girl and pulling her into a hug, Hermione waited for almost a minute before prompting her with the same question.

"Guess Longbottom's off my list." Pansy said.

"Come on, give me a bit more. Please Pan?" Hermione asked gently.

Susan was clearly inconsolable.

She nodded, trying to pull herself back together. "I was following Susan, wanted to ask her if I could visit the Infirmary with her. Then she saw this tall woman with that hat. She chased her down and they argued about Susan setting Neville up with a wog, which seemed to somehow indicate Patil."

Pansy shrugged, while Hermione just restrained from explaining the term again. "The woman, Madam Longbottom, clarified the list of options for Neville's spouse as British Pureblood. When Susan then mentioned me..."

The Slytherin trailed off, covering her eyes with a handkerchief she'd not been able to keep dry in days.

Hermione slowly rubbed the girl's back and waited.

Harry and Daphne created a wall by standing protectively across the entrance to the alcove, while Lady McKinnon had an elf fetch a pair of calming draughts from her chambers on the third floor. Ginny, who had been very excited about finally being able to talk to her father leaned against the wall, scowling out the main doors. Wishing she could hurt the old woman who'd caused the delay.

"She, killed her hat. Said she'd drown me with her bare hands if I came close to her grandson." That did the girl in, she collapsed into Hermione's arms and sobbed.

Marlene quickly handing one potion to Neville and a second calming draught to Harry and nudged him in Hermione's direction.

Several minutes later, the extended group was collected in the waiting room just off the Great Hall.

Susan wouldn't let go of Neville. Pansy wouldn't release Hermione. Ginny didn't seem to know what to do with herself, so she sat tightly beside Hermione and hugged her.

Daphne pulled her Aunt and Harry aside and cast a privacy charm. "We're going to have to either heal Lord Longbottom, or get that woman declared insane."

"How do we know his father will act any better?" Harry asked, not having any experience with parents.

"Because parents, real parents, want what makes their children happy. Regardless of tradition or what their friends think." Daphne said as she hugged his arm with both of hers.

"Neither of us had real parents then." Harry said. "Your father hit you, and mine were long dead by the time I could have remembered them."

"Harry, Daphne." Marlene said, putting an arm around each of them. "I believe that Frank, Neville's father, would indeed support his son's choices. But he's been in the long term ward for years. How could he recover now?"

"I've a theory that Bellatrix put them under a Black Family spell. It might take me some time, but I can at least go through their library." Daphne said, lifting her be-ringed hand.

Marlene's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, St. Mungo's should be full, as much as the Cruciatus curse was used in the last war. Each person's ability to remain sane under that curse for an extended period would be dramatically different. It's not like the Death Eaters had hours at Longbottom Hall. First they had to break in, through some of the heaviest wards in England, then out-duel both Frank and Alice. Who were well-known for their fighting abilities, and they were fighting to protect their son."

"Yes, I see." Marlene said, holding her hand over her lower stomach where her child was growing.

"Can you access the Family Magic?" Harry asked.

"I should be able to. It's not a matter of blood, but how much the magic accepts you. Since I'm the Lady of the House, and it's the Family Magic that did that."

"How do you find out?" He asked.

"I'll have Kreacher bring me some books."

"And we'll get Sirius and Andromeda involved. Narcissa if we can too." Harry said. "One of them should have a clue if it was a family spell. I mean we don't have hundreds of people from the last war sitting in St. Mungos do we? So I don't think it's prolonged exposure to the pain curse."

Marlene nodded, "Well reasoned. Certainly worth the effort to try. And the healers wouldn't be able to reverse a family spell, even if they recognized it. If Bellatrix did something to them, Sirius should be able to reverse it."

"I've still got his letter in my pocket." Harry said, tapping his breast. "Let me sit and go through it. Should give them a bit more time to recover."

Daphne nodded. "I'll see if I can start on the Black magic." She said and sat a bit apart from others, Kreacher appeared at her side when she called. "Are the Black children traditionally taught family spells at my age?"

"Yes, Mistress." Kreacher said. "They be getting some books before startin, then one book per year, through fifth."

"Lord Black has not forbidden my access to the Family Magic has he?"

"No Mistress." Kreacher said as though the very thought made him ill.

"Please bring me the fifth year book." Daphne said and a moment later a slim volume appeared in his hands and he offered it to her.

"Thank you Kreacher." She said, sat back, and began to read.

Marlene joined him on one of the benches. Here, where everyone knew of their relationship, Marlene sat tightly along his side with an arm around his back.

}-{

 _Harry,_

 _I've sent a request to Gringotts to enquire as to Miss Parkinson's contract under an absorbed house's name. If she should hear of an offer by the Velentine family, that is the fruit of this attempt. I doubt that she would be able to be freed, as the contracts are usually written to prevent this._

 _As to the Malfoy Heir's child. Yes, I am aware of the girl he impregnated. Unfortunately, I must also tell you that she is under my direct protection, being a member of the extended Black Family. Also in her defense she had no choice in the matter and wishes it had never happened._

 _Regardless, neither she, nor the child may be harmed. I've give my assurances to the girl in question and her mother._

 _On another note, I've met a woman from the Furieux side of the family who has graciously allowed me to court her. I've explained that I cannot make her Lady Black, nor give her children. Though these initially bothered her, she seems content for now._

 _We're debating when to move back to England. I'm thinking the start of the Yule break, though I may only come for a visit and to attend the session of the Wizengamot._

 _I've yet to hear any word from Madam Bones or the Ministry in general. So far, I'm still a wanted criminal._

 _Your Dogfather,_

 _Sirius_

}-{

"Well that settles the topic of ending the Malfoy line." Harry said, resting his head on Marlene's shoulder and folding the letter.

"Children are sacrosanct in most Ancient families." Marlene explained. "They're complete innocents. That only changes if it's later determined they do not have magic."

Harry nodded and folded the letter, placing it back into the pocket of his robe. "I didn't really like the idea, but ending the Malfoy line frees Pansy."

"Well. Ginny needs to visit St Mungo's and see Bill." Marlene said. "I can escort her, while the rest of you deal with this."

Harry looked around the room. No one but Ginny seemed to remember they had been heading out the door, and she was watching him quite anxiously. He ran his fingers roughly through his hair. "Get an oath from both brothers, have them make it to Gin. That decision has to be her own."

"Of course Harry." Marlene said, squeezing his shoulder and standing. "Ginevra, let us depart. The others need more time."

When Harry gave his Ward a quick nod, she got to her feet and met Lady McKinnon at the door.

Once they were gone Harry went and sat beside Hermione to see if he could help any.

}-{

St. Mungo's was still rather busy. The attack on Hogsmeade had resulted in over a hundred injured, and dozens dead. As she expected there was a strong Auror presence. She approached the Duty Officer. Fortunately he was paying attention this time and greeted her as she approached.

"Lady McKinnon, returning to visit Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes. We've heard from his healer that Mr. William Weasley is awake."

"Certainly." The man said and handed her two badges. Then jotted something in his log as they walked towards the lifts.

"Here." Marlene said, handing Ginevra the small badge and pinning her own on her collar.

Once in the lift, Ginny's nerves came back.

"It will be fine." Marlene said just before the door opened. With a gentle tug on their joined hands the Hit Witch pulled the young girl towards her brother's room.

The Auror guard on his room was gone, so Marlene knocked once hard, and pushed the door open. Inside the found William and Charlie.

In spite of her nerves, Ginny couldn't hold herself back. She ran to Charlie, who picked her up as though she were three, and hugged him as hard as she could. He soothed her for a moment then sat her on the edge of William's bed.

Ginny collapsed into his arms and he started crying as well.

Marlene sat in a conjured chair against the locked and silenced door, with The Spear standing near her right hand, she relaxed and observed the trio as they huddled together, whispering and crying.

William seemed far healthier, he was sitting up and his hair had begun to grow in, though it was merely a brown stubble at this point. She hoped this would settle Ginevra's nerves, she'd been having a rough couple of weeks. Then again the entire Weasley family had changed since the raid on their home.

"You must be Lady McKinnon." William said. He seemed star-struck by her presence.

"Yes. Call me Marlene when we're in formal." The Hit Witch said, trying to diffuse some of his awe.

"Thank you." William said. "Gin mentioned she was in Hogsmeade during the attack."

"Yes. Most of the students were." Marlene said. "I was inside the castle, working on a project with the Headmaster and the Flamels when we heard of it. When we arrived the village was swarming with Death Eaters. We later learned that the vast majority, seventy or so, were hired German Mercenaries. Though they injured and killed both students and citizens, most of them were captured or killed."

"In one of my final acts as Head of House." Charlie said to her. "I'm going to formally thank those who helped rescue Ginny."

Marlene bowed her head briefly and put her hand on The Spear, which brightened for a moment. "House McKinnon thanks you."

"Ginny's letter mentioned an oath?" Charlie said.

"Yes." Marlene said and stood. "Lord Potter learned yesterday that the mind healer who worked on you, knew of your actual connection. She took an oath, preventing her from communicating that fact until Ginevra herself makes that decision. Albus Dumbledore bound the entire Wizengamot to keep the secret, thus preventing it from being made public. I'm here to bind you both in an oath to Ginny. This needs to be her decision. Lord Potter is very firm on that."

"Sure." Charlie said. "Though, I think she should take an inheritance test at Gringotts to confirm everything."

Marlene nodded. "I do not see that as an issue. When are you being released?"

William shrugged. "A few more days they say to observe my progress. I've already met with the D.M.L.E. investigator about my injury. I was awarded a decent amount, as was Gringotts."

"Do you mind if we get the oath's out of the way?" Ginny asked her brothers.

Their mirrored nods made her smile.

}-{


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

"That was one unhappy bloke." Twin one said to twin two.

"Your observation skills astonish me." Twin two said and plopped onto the couch in their suite in Parkinson Manor.

"You reckon mum's got all this right?"

A shrug was the only reply he got. Their mum had spent a lot of time with Lady Parkinson today, while they had been told to wait in their suite. But someone had forgotten silencing charms.

Lord Voldemort had not taken the report on the Hogsmeade attack well. He'd apparently wanted 'the Greengrass girl' for one of the rituals. Not only had she not been kidnapped by Lord Parkinson, but somehow had killed Lord Parkinson, his brother, and the Nott heir.

"Perhaps we'll need to rethink our revenge, brother mine."

"Yes. If the Greengrass girl can kill two adult Death Eaters, and a fellow student, while being kidnapped…"

Twin two nodded. "No need to elaborate. But I want that cunt to suffer for what she did to us."

"Well, yes. But maybe we're thinking about it wrong?"

"What is the right way then?"

"We need to hit her where she's vulnerable. Her family."

"Oh, I like it."

"Yeah, doesn't she have a younger sister?"

}-{

Marlene and Ginny returned to Hogwarts well past lunch. Her brothers had kept them for about two hours, interrupted by the Healers coming in on several occasions to check on him or dose him with a potion.

On the way to the lift, they ran into Parvati. "Ginny!" the Indian girl exclaimed, running to them while an older woman in a flowing purple and blue garment who could only be her mother.

"Par!" Ginny said and accepted the older girl's tight hug, returning one of her own. "How's your sister?"

"Good, but they won't let her out yet."

"The healers believe she must be observed for several additional days." The woman said as she joined them.

"Yes, my older brother is stuck here too." Ginny said. "I'm Ginny Weasley, this is Lady McKinnon, one of our teachers at Hogwarts."

"Marlene." The Hit Witch said by way of greeting to the older woman.

"I've heard much of your team building and practical lessons." The woman said, without providing her name.

"It's been the best." Parvati said. "Though not always very easy." She added in a softer voice.

"Would you join us for lunch? Or are you in a hurry to depart?"

When Ginny looked pleadingly at Marlene she nodded. "We can spare a bit more time. No classes for the next few days."

"Oh, thank you." Parvati said and led the way to the lifts.

Though Parvati and Ginny had both continued to talk through most of their lunch the twin's un-named mother hardly spoke at all.

"We must be going." Marlene finally said when even the younger girls became aware of the awkwardness between the adults.

"Yes, thank you for lunch." Ginny said, as Parvati's mother had insisted on paying their bill.

"What happened there?" Ginny asked when they were walking up the path to the school.

"Isn't it strange we never got her mother's name? I find it interesting that she would dismiss such a universal custom. And she either was wary of speaking openly with me, or was somehow disturbed by my presence."

"Did The Spear, tell you anything about her?" Ginny asked, pointing at the staff she always had with her now.

"I didn't try to use it on her, but no, nothing really. I mean if she meant either of us harm I would have known that. No this is something else, possibly cultural. I don't know traditional Indian behaviors, the twins were born here, but may be more lenient than their parents."

"Oh." Ginny said. "Would it be alright for me to ask Parvati later?"

"Sure. She's your friend, just don't do it when anyone else is around."

"Yes." Ginny said with a firm nod. "Do you mind if I head up to my dorm for a bit?"

"We're back at school. I'm no longer your escort, though if you wish, I will walk you there."

"Yes, please." Ginny said as they headed up the grand stairs.

}-{

Marlene went to Harry's suite, by way of her own chambers, and found Daphne at their study table, with the Black Family spell book, while Harry and Hermione worked on homework on the far side of it.

"How did it go?" Harry asked, standing to give her a welcoming kiss.

"Good. Oaths obtained." Marlene said sitting on the long couch that could accommodate all four of them with room to spare. "We also ran into Parvati and her mother. Padma is recovering, but will not be released for a few days. Her mother, who failed to provide her name by the way, seemed distant from me, though she readily engaged with both Parvati and Gin."

Harry sat on her left, pulling her against his side with a pleasantly strong arm.

"Why would she do that?" Hermione asked, snuggling into the Hit Witch's other side.

Daphne had briefly looked up from the book, realized it was her, and went back to reading.

"I don't know much about Indian culture. Ginny was going to ask Parvati in private later. So what happened here?"

"Not much." Harry said.

"Neville went to the library with Susan and Pansy, we came up here and had lunch served in the suite to allow Daph to focus." Hermione said.

"Well, I wish I could get my boots off and relax with you for a bit. Unfortunately, I'm a responsible adult and need to check in with McGonagall." Marlene said.

"If you must." Hermione said, and kissed Marlene's cheek several times.

Marlene sighed. "You know I must." She said and gave the brilliant girl a firm kiss on the lips before Harry claimed her mouth for his turn. She managed to leave a bit later, slightly dazed from the snogging.

Fortunately, she stopped in her suite and fixed her makeup and hair before venturing into the castle proper.

}-{

Harry and Hermione had just settled back into their school-work when an elf appeared near them in the suite.

"Headdy Master asks Lordy Potter read this." The elf said.

"Um. Sure." Harry said and took the letter from the elf. The message was short, and the script a bit less-elegant than he remembered.

}-{

 _Please bring your ladies to the infirmary at your earliest convenience. We have grave matters to discuss and time is short._

 _Albus_

}-{

"Thank you, please inform him we shall be there as soon as possible." Harry said and the elf gave a sharp nod before vanishing.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as Daphne hadn't noticed a thing, being buried in the Black family spell book.

Harry handed her the note, "Dumbledore wants to speak to us." He told her, even as she read the note herself.

Hermione handed it back to him. "I'll get Lene and meet you there in thirty minutes."

"Alright." He said and looked at Daphne. He'd only recently realized that his Blonde Witch could become just as absorbed in the written word as his Brunette one. And disturbing either when they were so engrossed could be dangerous to one's health.

He sat down at the table opposite her and knocked once, sharply, on the table to get her attention. It worked, perhaps a bit too well, as she jerked in her seat and drew her wand, even as she almost fell over.

"Harry!" She said as she righted herself and snapped the book closed.

"Sorry. But you were gone there." He said, though his words did not lessen her scowl. Deciding to press ahead he put the note on the table facing her. "Dumbledore needs to see us right away. Mine's gone to get Lene."

"Oh." She said, her expression clearing in a flash. The wand vanished into its holster and the book to an inner pocket of her robe. "Let's be going then."

It was hard not taking offense at her rapid change. But he knew he shouldn't, he had been equally rude he realized.

Daphne was doing everything she could to try and find a spell that might have been used to incapacitate the Longbottoms, without ever actually seeing their symptoms in person.

A fact he found especially intriguing since the entire effort was to help Neville have a relationship with Padma. Though it also would allow Pansy to become his concubine or consort, assuming Neville would accept her. Then again, this would also allow him to keep his initial declaration of no more witches, something they would discuss tonight after dinner.

There had again been no response from Sirius, though Kreacher had informed them he'd hand-delivered the letter almost a full day ago.

She looped her arm through his left and got him moving from their suite.

They passed Lavender, Seamus, and Dean on the Grand stairs. The trio looked grim, as most students had since the attack on Hogsmeade killed and injured so many residents of the castle.

There were a pair of students in the Infirmary when they got there, first years by their size. Madam Pomfrey was slowly waving her wand over their hands which were covered in fur. She paused and looked up when the door was pushed open.

"You may proceed. No one else is here yet." She said without offering greetings or a smile.

"Thank you." Harry said and parted the curtain which segmented the end of the infirmary and provided the Headmaster some privacy.

His first impression was that Dumbledore looked old. Far older than he should be. "Headmaster." Harry said and paused at the foot of the bed.

Dumbledore was sitting up reading a book with several others, I easy reach, on the far side of the bed. He looked up as they entered and gave them a small smile, though it did not last long. "Thank you for coming so quickly." He said, his voice sounding as smooth as ever.

"Hermione and Marlene should be here soon." Harry said.

"Ah. Then let us speak of other things until they arrive. I hear that the attempt to kidnap your sibling was thwarted."

"Yes." Daphne said. "Miss Parkinson, Miss Davis, and her boyfriend, Mr. Mulcumber of Ravenclaw, managed to catch up to them at the outer edge of town."

Dumbledore nodded. "I've often touted second and even third chances for those who do wrong." He paused and slowly shook his head, looking down at the book resting in his lap. "We must support Lady McKinnon in her pursuit of those with The Dark within their hearts."

Harry was scowling when the Headmaster looked up again. "I still don't know why you trust Snape. And I fully intend to support her." He tapped the hilt of Hope over his right shoulder.

"We're here." Hermione said, pushing the curtain open behind them.

Harry was surprised, they hadn't heard them approaching at all.

"Yes, please come in and close the curtains. We're secured within its confines."

Marlene brushed aside the curtain with her hand holding The Spear and Susan Bones followed her with The Bulwark strapped to her back.

"Good, you are all here." Dumbledore said and then briefly held the book in his lap up towards them. "I've been refreshing my memory on the Artifacts of Light."

Hermione looked positively hungry at the knowledge held in the volume before them.

The Headmaster chuckled at her expression before growing solemn and speaking once again. "I'm afraid my news is rather grim. I am not long for this life and will soon move on to the next adventure."

Harry, Hermione and Susan gasped. Daphne's hand tightened on Harry's arm while Marlene did the same with The Spear.

"My magic is failing and I no longer have the will to hold it. Apparently the mass magic I enacted at the Wizengamot meeting was the beginning, it was then exacerbated by stunning the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade Village."

Marlene nodded and went to speak, but Harry spoke up first. "What's this about the next adventure? What do you mean?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "I'm dying. But death is merely a transition from one form of existence to another. To the well-organized mind, it produces no fear, merely curiosity as to what lies beyond the veil."

"How long?" Harry asked, his panic rising.

Again Dumbledore shrugged. "Poppy has had several of her colleagues look over my condition. They cannot set a time table. I will be released from here tonight, but the more magic I use the quicker the end will arrive." The old man did not look the slightest upset by this turn of events or the restrictions it placed upon him.

He cleared his throat, then seemed to remember something. "How in Merlin's name did you arrive in the village before me? Fawkes flaming is instant?"

"Um." Harry said.

"I was wondering about that myself." Marlene said.

Daphne nudged Hermione who looked at her sharply. "How did you get the door to transport us to the village?"

The brilliant brunette took nearly a minute to speak, her mind apparently off on Dumbledore's other news. "Well, since the Room creates what we wish for. I closed the door and wished for a path to Hogsmeade so we would be in time to save Astoria." Hermione said and shrugged. "I didn't realize that it apparently transported us back in time several minutes until the Headmaster arrived. Though he could have gone somewhere else, then the central square, which is what I initially believed. Until just now actually."

"It took us back in time?" Susan asked, her ginger eyebrows vanishing into her fringe.

Hermione shrugged. "If the Headmaster went directly from the seventh floor to the central square, and we were there for several minutes before he arrived. Yes."

"Astonishing." The Headmaster said in a breathless whisper. "You must further explore the possibilities of that room. Though, I caution you with experimenting with time travel, I shall certainly not forbid it."

"Is that why you wanted to see us?" Marlene asked.

"No. My Lady. It is not." He looked at Susan and gave her a smile before speaking again. "Unfortunately, I have horded knowledge as a dragon hordes treasures. I am now afraid that there will not be enough time for me to impart that to you. And am even more concerned that something I believe trivial, turns out to be critical and I did not choose to speak of it ere the end."

They were all silent after that was said, each delving within themselves for a way forward.

"Well." Hermione said slowly. "I've got my inner-selves working through Tom Riddle's memories. Unfortunately even with all of my resources it is a task that will take several years to complete and catalogue for reference. Yet the knowledge I've gleamed, including his method of Flying from Death, have proven incredibly helpful."

Daphne pulled her into a one-armed hug but did not speak.

"Unfortunately, I don't think I can handle a hundred and fifty or so years of information atop the seventy I've already got." The brunette said, a tear leaking from her now closed eyes. "Sorry." She added as Daphne folded her into a hug.

"How about the Sorting Hat?" Susan suddenly asked.

"What?" Harry asked.

Susan shrugged, causing the strap holding The Bulwark to slip from her shoulder but she caught it with a practiced tug on the other end. "Well it can obviously read our minds. It has a thousand years of memories in it already, what's another hundred and fifty?"

"Now that." Dumbledore said causing them to turn their attention to him. "Is not something I thought of. An interesting possibility Miss Bones. Once I am released I shall make that my first priority. If it can indeed hold my memories, and then participate in discussions with you later, utilizing them, it could certainly prove to be the answer."

Susan blushed, her entire neck and exposed bosom turning a light pink. "Thank you."

"Now," Dumbledore said. "As to the contents of the Room of Hidden Things. I have ordered the Elves to focus their energy on sorting it. Anything with a Dark or malignant aura, which they can sense very well, will be left where it is while those things around it will be moved. Even with nearly a hundred of them at work, I'm told it will be several days before they complete the task."

"That's brilliant." Harry said.

"Thank you Lord Potter. On occasion I've been known to have an intelligent thought or two." He replied with a smile.

"So we'll only need to sort through a few items." Hermione said, her attention once again focused on the discussion.

"I've further instructed the Elves to inform Lady McKinnon when they are done and to follow her instructions. Just in case I'm not present to assist." Dumbledore said.

The group nodded, understanding he could very well be dead in the next few days.

"I'm afraid that is all I had to speak of."

"I've been taking a more public role." Marlene said, twisting the butt of The Spear on the stone floor. "I'll have to become the Leader of the Light. At least for a few years. Until Harry has a better understanding of the duty that entails."

Dumbledore nodded. "It can be no other at present. Though Lord Potter has the ability, he lacks the experience. Which I believe you are assisting him in gaining. In a few years, should you be granted the time, you will stand as the equals you are. And for that reason I regret my time is short."

"I'll need to call up the Order once again." Marlene said.

Though the remainder of them were fairly confused by that statement it had a profound effect on the aged Headmaster. He looked up at Fawkes, who let out a gentle hum. "In order for that to be possible, Fawkes will seek to bond with you when I have moved on."

"What?" Marlene asked, looking at the immortal bird in surprise.

Fawkes lowered his plumed head briefly as though bowing.

Marlene responded with a deep curtsy.

"Um, what just happened?" Harry said.

"Do you remember I mentioned the Order which the Headmaster formed to fight Voldemort?" Marlene said.

"Yes, sort of."

"Well, it is properly called the Order of the Phoenix." Marlene said, with a gesture to the immortal bird, who once again bowed his head.

"Fawkes is the actual power behind the Order, it is he whom enables it." Dumbledore said.

"Oh." Harry said.

"Sir," Hermione said. "Isn't there a way to get your magic back?"

"Several." Dumbledore said but quickly shook his head to remove their sudden hope. "But I am not willing to perform any of the rituals that are required. All are Dark and require a sacrifice of a magical soul or two. I've spent my life learning not only the Light, but the Dark. I refuse to turn down that path."

"Of course." Hermione said immediately. "I wasn't trying to imply you would. I just hoped there was some way that wasn't Dark."

The Headmaster gave her a gentle smile to reassure her. "I regret that I am not aware of any Light-sided rituals that would stabilize my magic."

"We may have taken out a lot of his followers in Hogsmeade, but many of them were German Mercenaries." Marlene said.

Dumbledore held up his index finger, "Actually I believe we will eventually determine those mercenaries are followers of Grindelwald. Knights of Walpurgis, to be precise."

"Really?" Hermione asked, her voice higher than usual.

"Wait, who?" Harry asked, though Hermione seemed to understand what they were talking about.

The Headmaster looked over his half-moon glasses at Harry. "Grindelwald used an ancient Germanic order of Knights, called the Knights of Walpurgis, to implement and enforce his policies. Though he was defeated, and sits in prison, they were not."

"It makes sense." Marlene said. "Riddle was well aware of their movement and supportive of it."

"Precisely." The Headmaster said.

"Regardless, we have removed a substantial number of his resources, there are plenty more. Fenrir Greyback for example, followed him in the past and his pack is larger now than it was a decade ago."

"Yes, and made stronger by the fact that the government has established more stringent laws around those afflicted with Lycanthropy." The Headmaster said.

Harry was still back on trying to follow how Voldemort now had the support of the previous Dark Lord's followers.

Daphne pulled him away from the bed and near the curtain before turning him to face her. "Are you alright?" she asked gently.

He started to shrug, but changed his mind and shook his head slowly. "Who are we fighting?"

Lady Black's eyes grew hard and she stood a bit straighter. He could feel her magic pulsing along their bond. "Anyone who thinks they can harm us or ours without repercussions." She hissed, her jaw clenched tightly.

Then Hermione and Marlene were hugging them both tightly.

A few moments later they parted and the Headmaster spoke. "I believe we are done for now. I shall send word when I know more."

"Thank you Headmaster." Hermione said, her hand firmly on Harry's left bicep.

Susan didn't quite seem to know what to do with herself. She hadn't joined the hug, but had moved closer to them. She now turned back to the Headmaster and gave him a well-practiced curtsy. "Thank you sir. House Bones stands ready to assist."

Albus gave her a seated bow and then leaned back on the pillows closing his eyes.

"Out." Poppy said, causing several of them to jump and the Headmaster to open one eye in query. "Out I say." The Matron repeated herself, brandishing her wand and ushering them from her realm.

}-{

"I say we should head to dinner. What do you think?" Hermione said in a high, nasally voice.

"I say." Marlene replied in a similar snooty tone. "I say, I'm famished and could eat the proverbial horse."

This caused Hermione to cackle, she was soon joined by the elder witch and the pair led them towards the Great Hall.

"What are they doing?" Susan asked in a whisper from just behind Harry.

"I would imagine they are simply trying to lighten the mood." He eventually said. Since her declaration Daphne had remained silent, though still clutched his hand tightly as they walked.

"Well." Susan said. "I'll see you later alright?"

"Sure." He said and the ginger turned towards the Hufflepuff table and her friend Hannah.

After dinner Harry was guided by both his younger ladies back to their suite. He wished he had forgotten what was after dinner, but Luna's fairies were hiding somewhere. It was time to discuss Pansy Parkinson.

Instead of heading directly to their bedroom, Hermione sat with him on the longer couch while Daphne headed deeper into their suite.

"She'll be back shortly with Lene." Hermione said, turning to face him better on the couch. "I want to make one thing clear before they come back. I don't care how many join us, so long as we can both love them. And for the record, I like girls just about as much as you do."

"Mine." He whined, and instantly realized the tone of his voice and blushed. "Sorry." He intoned, his voice dropping back a full octave.

"Love." She said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "We're learning all of this together. The three of us are permanent fixtures in your life, as you are in ours. The only reason Daph and I are not yet carrying your children is the social impact that would have on you. I could care less about how people feel about me, except when it would reflect poorly upon you. Lene is an adult. At worst, she will be seen as taking advantage of your youth, though most witches will still be jealous of her."

He nodded, squeezed her hand tightly and closed his eyes. Several calming breaths later, his hand was loosely around hers and his tension had at least fled into the back corner of the room. "Alright. I'm ready to discuss this rationally."

"Good. Honesty is all we ask." She said and hugged him gently. It was only a few minutes later they heard noises from further in the suite and Marlene walked into the parlor and sat opposite them on a small couch, leaving space for Daphne. She had changed into informal robes, and had left The Spear somewhere in the suite.

"Tea's been bothering my stomach, I'll have some water. Thanks."

"What?" Harry asked.

"I was responding to Kreacher, there, beside your couch." Marlene said with a brief gesture to Harry's side.

"Yes, Lady McKinnon." The elf said and a crystal pitcher appeared on a side table along with the tea service Harry hadn't noticed.

"Alright, are we ready?" Daphne said as she walked into the room. She too had changed from her school robes, though had foregone informal robes and gone straight to a very soft teal night robe. It was apparently designed for cold weather as it included a hood as well. She settled beside her aunt, tucking her feet up beside her and folding the base of her robe over to keep herself warm.

"Yes, I believe so." Hermione said, taking the offered cup from Kreacher with a small nod.

"Well, I've known her the longest so let me begin." Daphne said. She paused to take a cup from the Black Elf before continuing. "We met when we were six. Our mothers were having some event or another. I had brought along my Babba Yaga doll." She shrugged when Marlene chuckled.

"Sorry." Marlene said. "I had forgotten those."

"Anyway." Daphne said, turning back to Harry. "Pansy took exception to my choice of dolls. She preferred the traditional Morgana doll. Probably had Merlin as well to play house with."

She shrugged slightly, so as not to spill her tea. "I was in tears by the time the event was over and my doll had mysteriously been eaten by their dog."

"Since then." Marlene said. "They have not gotten along. At least until now. What changed?"

Daphne scowled at her aunt but nodded slowly. "Since we've been working together. And yes I know you forced that on me, she has been reliable and actually helpful."

She paused to blow on her tea and take a small sip. "We likely had very similar lives, father beat me because I wasn't a boy. Pansy's father and uncle were both Death Eaters, while mine was only a sympathizer."

Harry winced at this but kept from speaking, looking down into his tea instead.

"When I used The Spear on her." Marlene said into the silence. "It gave me a similar impression, yes. I don't get a lot of details, just a feeling for how light or dark someone is. Perhaps it's just because I'm still learning. I don't know. But the knowledge that she wasn't dark, yet had a Death Eater for a father, made me decide to put her in your group. Otherwise it would have been Tracey Davis."

"Well." Hermione said as Marlene took a slow sip of her water. "When I first started Hogwarts I hated Slytherins. That of course changed during my third year, though Daph can tell you a few stories of our first few weeks together. I didn't trust her at all, we had to come up with a system to attend classes together and use the Time Turner responsibly."

Daphne had begun to smile as Hermione talked. "And since I didn't stab you in the back while we were showering?"

That caused Hermione to blush.

"Wait, what?" Harry found himself asking.

"Nothing." Hermione said but Daphne spoke over her. "Since she didn't trust me alone with the Time Turner, and honestly I didn't trust her alone with it either, we went just about everywhere together. Including the Loo and the Showers."

Now partially aroused, Harry shook his head. They had been thirteen, and eventually had become lovers before the year was out.

"So anyway." Hermione said to get them back on track. "I eventually learned to trust and love Daph. But since I had very poor experience with friends growing up. They all ended up taking advantage of me somehow to help them with their school work. I've not extended that trust to others very quickly."

"Though Tracey is an exception." Daphne said.

Hermione nodded. "And Sue of course. But Parkinson, no. She's always seemed too close to Malfoy for me." She looked suspiciously at Marlene. "Was that another reason to put her in our Defense group? Or should I say put us in her Defense group?"

"What do you mean?" Marlene asked.

"To separate Pansy from Malfoy?"

Marlene nodded, hiding a smile behind her glass of water.

"Thought so." Hermione said. "Since we've been working with her, and she's been helping us to the best of her abilities, I've changed from distrusting her to admiring her. She put up with Malfoy for all these years? And was able to rescue Astoria twice in one day?"

"And there you've hit my reason for trusting her." Harry said. "She warned us about the plot against Astoria, and kept an eye on her in the Slytherin Common Room. Then she managed to do what we couldn't, prevent Astoria from being kidnapped. Yes she had help, and I'm not saying she could have done what she did without Jasper and Tracey. But she did quite a lot better than I expected during the whole fight in Hogsmeade."

"So you do trust her?" Marlene questioned, leaning forward.

"Yes, though saying that surprises me."

"Alright." Marlene said with a nod. "So she's past the first hurdle of joining us, we all at least trust her. And in Hermione's case admire her."

"Do you have a checklist?" Harry asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"No," Marlene said. "But I do have several criteria that simply must be met. For example, can we trust her with our secrets? She's known for a while now that Daph is Lady Black. Yet that hasn't been published in the Prophet or even spread around the school in general."

They each thought about that and sipped their drinks. Harry finally put his empty cup down on the table, Kreacher quickly refilled it, though Harry ignored it for now.

"Yes, I see your point there and I guess I too have some points that must be met for her to join us." He scowled, but seemed to merely be upset with his own words. "She's shown her loyalty, I don't see how she could be playing us, when she went against her own father to help rescue Astoria. If she knew what he was doing, it would have been easy enough for her to foil Tracey and Jasper's rescue attempt."

"Or simply seal her own mouth when the Dementors came into the shop." Hermione said making them all cringe.

Harry sat, fiddling with the edge of his school robe, not looking at anyone.

"For me." Marlene said. "I believe she wants to be free of the life she's lived. Can I learn to love her?" She shrugged. "That's too soon to tell. We have hardly had any time in private to really speak or explore that."

"Do you think that's important?" Harry asked, his head still down.

"Yes." Marlene said. "We've all grown accustomed to sharing a single bed. We need to be open about this. If she joins us, she will need to accept the fact that you cannot… Harry look at me?"

Reluctantly Harry looked up into Marlene's eyes.

"This is nothing against you. As I know Hermione and Daphne have both said it to you in the past. We do not expect you to satisfy all of us every night. You can certainly have days where you're too exhausted, or may just not feel like it. That is fine. We will each have similar days."

"But those who do want some attention." Hermione said, her cheeks a light pink in embarrassment, though she couldn't meet Harry's eyes. "Will seek it from others who feel the same, at that time. So if Pansy joins us, she'll need to be open to sex with us, in addition to you."

Harry let out a slow breath and leaned back in the couch.

Daphne's tea service made a soft clink as she put it down on the table. A swish of fabric made him open his eyes as she stood and came to kneel beside his legs. She didn't touch him or even reach out to do so, instead settling on her heels and looking up at him.

"Harry. We're not trying to force you into anything. Any one of us would be utterly content to have you to ourselves. But if we can rescue Pansy, and the real cost to us is including her in our lives, then I will not stand against it. Remember, I've asked my own father to get her contract from Malfoy."

He reached down and brushed his finger over her porcelain cheek. "I don't want any of you to feel slighted." He managed to say, then shook his head again and closed his eyes to regain his self-control. "But I do understand your point Lene. I have no illusions of being some sex god. I just hope to be able to satisfy each of you, not all of you at once. I don't see how anyone could possibly think they could do that."

"Alright." Daphne said and lightly touched his knee as she stood to return to the other couch.

"Will he keep her?" Hermione asked.

"No." Marlene said firmly. "Celeste won't tolerate sharing Malcolm."

"Glad you knew what she was asking." Harry said and laughed as he relaxed. "So if he is able to obtain her contract, he'll need to pass it to someone else. And that is likely me."

"Yes." Daphne said.

"Now Harry." Hermione said, resting her free hand on his wrist. "We need you to be utterly honest with us here, and with our bond I think we can tell if you're not."

"Yes." He said and then pressed on before she could continue. "Yes, I find her attractive, assuming that's what you were going to ask." He added with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, you." Hermione said and gave his wrist a gentle squeeze. "Yes, and thank you for being honest."

"I believe we're done." Marlene said.

"Already, what?"

She smiled at his confused expression. "We have determined there is no reason to reject the idea. We each trust her, and think she deserves our help. I can't see her objecting to being intimate with witches, the four of us are in an established relationship. She simply cannot have you to herself."

"And I find her attractive." Harry said with a nod. "Alright, I agree we're done discussing this for now. But this doesn't mean we're going to start anything with her right now."

"Correct." Daphne said.

"Only once this mess has been sorted out." Hermione added while Marlene nodded.

Harry finally picked up his, elf-warmed tea, and took several sips of it. He was just thinking of suggesting they head into the bedroom when Hermione cleared her throat.

"That brings me to another topic." Hermione said. "One which Lene and I have discussed with one another, but not with either of you." She made a quick gesture to both Daphne and Harry.

"No." Daphne said, and dramatically placed her forearm over her eyes, leaning her head back. "You love my Aunt more than me?"

"No, silly." Hermione quickly said while Marlene chuckled.

"We need to discuss the rough sex." Marlene said, growing serious.

"Oh." Harry said while Daphne rapidly switched to a thoughtful frown.

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked.

Hermione took a slow breath before replying. "I mean, I'm alright with it once in a while, but I do not like pain. I wasn't ready to be buggered, and it hurt a lot." She shook her head turning to Harry. "I would never deny you, but please. I think I would have been fine if we'd started slowly." She was crying, unable to look at Harry.

"Sorry." Harry automatically said.

"Wait." Daphne said. "I want… and need, him to own me. I've got to feel that intensity in both his magic and body. When he holds or moves me firmly into a position that he wants, I know I'm satisfying his desires, and he's not merely accommodating mine."

"Do you like pain?" Marlene asked her niece.

Daphne shrugged. "That's inconsequential. My entire focus during sex is discovering and meeting his needs." When her three lovers still looked confused she continued. "Harry is too self-sacrificing. During the entire time I've known him he rarely actually says 'I want to do this.' Or pushes his opinion. Instead he accepts our choices. I don't want a passive Lord. I need a Lord that is strong, certain, and willing to take what is freely offered."

She was leaning forward on the couch now, looking intently at Harry. "I've said I won't ever deny you and I meant it. If you wish to take me in the Great Hall tomorrow at Breakfast, I will fully participate."

"Daph!" Hermione exclaimed with a bright blush.

"Mine, I'm quite certain of this." Daphne said, not taking her eyes from Harry's. "Lord Potter must be able to stand up for himself. And Lord Black, absolutely has to be someone the world respects and fears. The family magic will not accept less, which is why Sirius is only lightly connected to it."

"So you're willing to debase yourself?" Marlene asked, pushing her niece fairly hard to explain her feelings.

"Yes." Daphne said, keeping her eyes on Harry. "I've no shame where this is concerned. If creating a proper Lord Black means I end up with a collar and spend my life crawling at his feet, so be it."

"Well." Marlene said, looking around the room at her companion's reactions. Harry was simply stunned while Hermione bit her lip and her eyes flitted between the two of them. "This is not what Hermione and I suspected when we discussed it."

The others seemed to only partially be aware of her words. She continued anyway. "We believed it was more related to the fact that both of you were abused and needed to receive and issue pain to feel loved."

"What?" Harry said, tearing his eyes from Daphne's intense gaze. "I never."

"Pain may not have been your intention. You have not whipped or beaten any of us, but when Daphne asked you to bugger her, you took her hard."

"That's what she wanted." He said.

Daphne gave a firm nod.

"But you did the same with Hermione, and I'm worried you will do the same with me. I'm not against it, or feel it's beneath me, but I want to enjoy the experience as much as I can. That means it's got to be slower, allowing my body to stretch and accommodate you."

"Oh."

"Now. I'm not going to tell you not to act that way with Daphne. She's made her point regarding that." She put her arm gently around Daphne and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "She's Lady Black and will know best what the family magic needs. I also agree that Lord Potter has to be strong. Those who would stand against your grandfather were very few. Your father did not live long enough to establish himself, but certainly had that ability."

Hermione put both arms around his chest and buried her face in his neck. The four of them sat there thinking for several minutes.

"Harry." Hermione said, pulling back far enough to look at him. "You do need to be able to stand up to others, both politically and privately. Yet, I don't want to feel pressured into doing things I'm not ready for or comfortable with."

"I feel the same." Marlene said, absently putting a hand on her lower abdomen. "Too much of my life has been violent, I need something romantic and gentle, to give me hope for the future."

"I think I get it Harry." Daphne said. "And I don't mean this in a condescending way." She added to Hermione. "They need you to think of their desires during sex, while I need you to think of yours."

"How is that going to work?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't think that's quite right." Marlene said. "I think it's more of a meeting of equals, where we will try to satisfy your desires as you try to do the same with ours."

"It's just what Daphne's asking really." Hermione said, her excitement showing as she puzzled it out. "She desires you to be dominating, you're actually satisfying her desire by thinking more of your own."

"Yes." Daphne said and stood. "So let's practice!"

"Wait, you mean you still want to?" he said, looking between Hermione and Marlene.

"Of course." Hermione said and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "We love you, which is what made this such a hard conversation for me."

"We just need to teach you how to be more romantic with Hermione and I."

"But commanding with me." Daphne said.

Harry's grin wasn't his only response, which made itself known as he stood.

}-{

"Why do you wish to purchase this contract? I've had several other requests." Malfoy said.

"Well, I'm certain you've heard that all male Parkinsons are now dead? As such, I'd like to use the girl for breeding one of my cadet lines back into existence."

"I wasn't aware Greengrass had one of those."

"Dagworth was folded in to the main Greengrass line in the fifteenth century. For the previous three centuries we were Dagworth-Greengrass. Another branch merged with the Granger line, that would be Dagworth-Granger to be exact, but that line is extinct, allowing us to resurrect the parent line."

Malfoy looked at the two goblins sitting in on the meeting, one was his account manager, the other represented Lord Greengrass.

"Lord Greengrass is correct." The goblin closer to Lord Greengrass said. "The cauldron on their coat-of-arms was added to represent the Dagworth contribution to the potion industry."

"I can confirm my colleague's information." Lord Malfoy's manager said.

"But the contract specifies Line Continuation." Malfoy said.

"Goblin." Lord Greengrass said rather firmly. "Can we not alter the contract during this negotiation?"

"Of course." They said in stereo, then Lord Malfoy's manager continued. "The Malfoy family currently owns the contract, one of the sub-clauses they insisted upon allows anything they desire, can be either struck or amended to the contract."

With a sharp nod, Lord Greengrass turned back to Malfoy. "So, let's go over this in further detail. First, strike the Line Continuation condition. I'd like to add fertility and male offspring potions for the first five years of the contract. I'm tired of female children. I like the three children requirement, and with the potion they should all be able to carry the name. Third, I see no need for her to have the rights of a Consort, let's just make the cunt a Concubine."

Malfoy's expression turned from skeptical to spouting a lecherous grin by the time Malcolm was done detailing his requested alterations to the Parkinson contract. "And what compensation would you offer?"

"Well." Malcolm said, leaning back and meeting Malfoy's eyes. "She's young, I've heard a bit of a pug-nose though, youth can make up for many shortcomings. I suppose I can have her altered once I own her to be more appealing. And again her youth will grant me many more years of possible heirs. Let's say seventy five thousand?"

Malfoy's eyes went wide in shock. He'd only paid ten thousand for her to begin with. "Why in the world would you offer so much for a chit of a girl?"

"Humph." Malcolm said, looking cross with Malfoy. "You're not a very subtle Slytherin are you? Well, as you know we are a Grey family, having some inclination to support both the Light and Dark in politics and, shall we say, other things."

"So what are you saying, precisely."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." Malcolm said, throwing both his hands up in frustration. "Has losing the Black Dowry caused you to lose your brain as well? I'm trying to give you money to support your Dark Lord you idiot."

Malfoy looked rather peeved by the insults and thought a bit before answering. "Why not join him?"

"Have you forgotten my in-law? Tall women, carries a special Staff that makes a bright light? Her father damned near ended your Dark Lord, and I can tell you that she's stronger than her old man."

Malfoy winced at the description of Marlene McKinnon.

"Yes, her. In case you didn't know, she's one of the anchors for The Light. I wouldn't live out a week if I took your Lord's mark. Now paying you money to resurrect one of my lines, one which was known for its Light tendencies I might add, will be accepted."

"Yes." Malfoy said with a sour look to his face. He leaned forward slowly and tapped his cane on the floor between his legs. "Very well. With the specified modifications, though I've got one more to add."

Malcolm tried to maintain his expression, and nodded to get Malfoy to continue.

"If she is not pregnant by New Year's Day, of '97, then the contract reverts to me, and you forfeit the galleons."

Malcolm rubbed the short stubble on his cheek as he thought. "I'd prefer it for after the chit graduates, but we have elves for assisting in such a situation. Very well, I accept your condition."

"You realize, that you will be unable to alter the contract until that time?"

"Of course, I'm aware of that."

"Good." Malfoy said with a grin and held out his hand.

Malcolm shook it once, firmly and turned to the goblins.

"Give us five minutes to re-write the contract Lords." The Greengrass manager said as his companion was busy marking up the original.

Several minutes later the altered contract was turned to Lord Malfoy by his account manager. He read it through, then sat back with a smile.

The goblin shifted the contract for Malcolm to read and Lord Greengrass went over it, making sure that nothing else had been modified. The bit about her being pregnant would throw a doxy in with the puffskins, but it couldn't be helped. It was likely Malfoy would scrap his agreement if offered more money to drop that condition. It was Malfoy's assurance that Malcolm intended to do what he said. However, the contract did not specify that he had to be the father of that children.

"Acceptable." Malcolm finally said.

The contract was turned back to Lord Malfoy, while the other goblin pulled a blood-quill from a sealed container.

With his usual flourish, Lord Malfoy signed the amended contract.

Moment later Lord Greengrass did the same.

With a look in a ledger, Malfoy's account manager turned to his client. "The money is in your account."

"Excellent." Malfoy said and stood. "Pleasure doing business with a real man for once Greengrass."

Malcolm stood and gave Malfoy a half-bow as the platinum-haired man left with his account manager on his heels.

When he was alone with his account manager he looked over to the scowling goblin. "My apologies Grimtooth. I only acted the way I did to help convince Malfoy to accept my offer." He slowly took his seat once again.

"One understands this, though it was hard to refrain from drawing my blade. I do not know how Sharpaxe deals with that man."

"Thank you for your indulgence. Now, in your opinion, can this contract be nullified, freeing the girl?"

"What?" Grimtooth asked, his eyebrows both rising dramatically.

"I am not resurrecting the Dagworth line. During the attack on Hogsmeade, Miss Parkinson rescued my daughter Astoria, twice. She asked me to free her from Malfoy. My family owes her a Life-Debt."

"Hmmm." Grimtooth said, scowling as he took up the contract to re-read it with this in mind.

Malcolm sat patiently waiting as he did so.

"No." Grimtooth said. "Even if you transfer this to another male, the final condition must still be met, or the female will revert to Lord Malfoy."

"As I thought." Malcolm said. "And the rest of it cannot be altered until then either?"

"No, see this." Grimtooth said, pointing a sharp claw to one of the paragraphs. "Being with child by that date merely seals the contract, you specified a term of five years, which only takes affect from the date of confirmed pregnancy."

"And the three male children must be born within that period to fulfil it?" Malcolm asked, to verify he understood the details.

"Yes." Grimtooth said. "The female must be bred thrice, within a five year period, by the same male mind you, and the first deadline is a bit over thirteen months hence."

"Once the three male children are produced, and the five year period is expired, the contract may be nullified?

"As of that date yes." Grimtooth said. "Now remember, the first deadline, only determines if the female reverts to Lord Malfoy. It does not alter any of the other conditions."

"Yes, I see that. Provide me with a certified copy of this please. I will speak with the girl and follow her directive."

"As honor dictates." Grimtooth said, which didn't quite make sense to Malcolm, but he nodded anyway. As long as he'd dealt profitably with goblins, their culture was still difficult for him to understand. He supposed theirs was similarly murky to them.

}-{

Lord Voldemort stood once again before the crystalline door in the crumbling passage. Last time he had been here had been twelve years ago, shortly before his encounter with the mudblood bitch.

He hadn't been able to proceed past this point. The ancient wards still held far too much power, as though someone periodically renewed them. Now he held the correct knowledge to breech them. These wards were even older than he had believed, predating not only the Norman Conquest, but the Roman one as well. That could only mean that they were Merlin's very own, safeguarding his deepest treasures.

Fortunately the vampire historian he had originally hired to research the wards, had continued to do so after his encounter with the bitch. The ultimate answer hadn't even been in England, but instead under one of the temples in Rome. Hidden away in a vault of antiquities the retreating Roman Mages had taken with them.

With careful inflection he formed the sounds the vampire had taught him. He wasn't sure they were actually words, but the light emanating from the crystals in the wall faded and the door flickered out of existence.

"Yes." He said and lit his wand to see within. He would be unstoppable with the treasures of Merlin at his command.

}-{

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an immortal woman paused in her preparations for her next lecture and cocked her head. "Idiot." She spoke, though she appeared to be alone in the chamber.

}-{

Across the Atlantic Ocean in the American city of Las Vegas, a man froze while walking down a busy street.

The woman behind him narrowly avoided him and scowled as she passed.

The man in question paid her no attention. Instead finishing his step and moving to the nearest brick wall. A thought rendered him un-noticeable behind a curtain of night.

Once obscured he was able to focus. Yes some idiot was disturbing that which should not be. "She's not ready to wake you idiot." He said, and began making his way towards the nearest taxi.

She would not be happy upon waking, and would vent her displeasure. He only hoped it wouldn't be noticed by the non-magical in the area.


End file.
